The Lioness and the Badgers
by sarahhaych
Summary: Set in GOF – Hermione centric. Harry finally catches a break thanks to our favourite bushy haired Gryffindor and her new Hufflepuff friend, a story about relationships, friends, family and that first special someone.
1. Chapter 1

Dreams have a way of either alleviating all your worries and neurosis or of solidifying them so strongly that they follow you around for days like the proverbial black cloud.

This particular nightmare is new, not in the general message, that is usually the same either my own personal failure or those I love dying. The scenario was different though, at least my method of torture varies which is less maddening than having the exact same dream over and over.

In my dream I was dressed in long black robes with one of those American style graduation caps on my head, the rest of our year were all there too and all the teachers, we were sitting at our house tables and Dumbledore was calling out names to hand over diplomas to say we had completed our education at Hogwarts. I watched as people were called up, Harry, Ron, Neville but my name didn't get called when it should. I sat in silence, my mind whirring, not knowing what was going on but having to wait until Dumbledore had finished with everyone else.

I approached the head table where Dumbledore was in deep conversation with Snape, they were talking about Quidditch trying to agree who should win the house cup, Snape commented that Ravenclaw had played well this year but Dumbledore wouldn't hear of it, Hufflepuff was the best in his eyes and he had the scarf to prove it which he spelled to wave in Snape's face, the tassels tickling his large crooked nose.

"What do you want, Mudblood?" It was Dumbledore who spoke. I stuttered not able to answer for a second, all words seem to have deserted me, Dumbledore's eyes were blood red not the usual pale blue I was used to.

"She hasn't got her diploma, for such a know it all, she is rather thick." Snape put in. Tears welled up in my eyes, I didn't want to cry but I couldn't seem to help it, tears ran down my face but I didn't flee, I just stood there, crying, looking at Snape and Dumbledore still unable to find my voice or form any coherent thoughts past the word mudblood swirling around in my brain.

Then Dumbledore stood and addressed the whole room which was suddenly filled not just with my year but the rest of Hogwarts, and my parents, and children from my primary school who never liked me. "Hermione Granger, the snivelling little twit is upset that she hasn't got a diploma." The room broke out into hysterical laughter and some applause at seeing my distress.

Snape was the one to reveal all. "Hermione Granger is and always will be an insufferable little bitch who will never be good enough to impress anyone, what she has failed to grasp is that she has not graduated from Hogwarts, she is a Mudblood and doesn't deserve to be here so to that end..." Snape then gestured to Dumbledore who had risen from his seat and had moved to stand next to me.

"I hereby banish Hermione Granger from the wizarding world, all wizarding books and artefacts will be confiscated and destroyed." At which point Dumbledore proceeded to take my wand and snap it in two before burning the two pieces.

Needless to say when I was awoken by Ginny in the dark I was at once relieved but also in a bad, self deprecating mood.

"Come on Hermione! It's the Quidditch world cup!" I shoot a death stare at Ginny's retreating back. When the hell did she turn into a morning person? I glance out the window … or a middle of the night person. My watch reads an ungodly hour, I frown at it before planting my feet on the floor.

Before I know what's hit me I am pushed out the front door of the burrow by Ron with a piece of cold toast in hand and a large rucksack slung over my shoulders. I guess staying up reading next terms texts books wasn't such a good idea with an early start planned the next morning.

I trudge along as Mr Weasley explains about how everyone will arrive at the world cup, I zone out as he tells the others how Portkeys can be anything, usually something that can be mistaken for litter so that Muggles don't accidentally Portkey themselves anywhere. I tend to do this, if I know the material already and don't think I will glean anything else from it then I stop listening, I try to be polite and still nod as if I am but I have been caught out a few times by my parents mostly.

We have been walking for at least an hour, if not more. The same dark, dank green and brown landscape passing by with every step. I clutch at a stitch in my side as I catch up to the others on top of the hill, the others with their longer legs and excitement have been practically jogging along for parts of the journey.

"Now we just need the Portkey." Mr Weasley says looking around the general vicinity. "It wont be big … come on ..."

With that we all split up, looking around for any little piece of rubbish. A large rock catches my attention, as I wonder if this could be the object of our search when a shout makes me jump.

"Over here Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it."

Spinning around I see two figures being approached by the others. "Amos!" I hear Mr Weasley shout back. I make my way over and spot Amos Diggory and his son Cedric.

I have never really seen Cedric close up before, I have of course heard all the other girls go on about him, how he is oh so tall and handsome and amazing ... the list goes on. What I see before me is a boy about the twins age, tall yes, handsome most defiantly, with his bright grey eyes and hair all messed up by the wind on the hill, amazing I am not so sure. I have heard he is supposed to be clever but I haven't actually seen any evidence of this.

Whilst I have been studying him his father says something that makes him blush, he then says it wasn't Harry's fault he fell off his broom. Typical, Quidditch talk...

"Must be nearly time." Mr Weasley comments after some more boasting from Mr Diggory. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?"

"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets," Mr Diggory replies. "There aren't any more of us in the area are there?"

"Not that I know of, Yes, it's a minute off … we'd better get ready …" Mr Weasley finds me and Harry with his eyes. "Just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do"

I cram myself in between Harry and Ginny and touch the boot with my index finger, just as I touch the leather Mr Weasley finishes the countdown and one of the strangest feelings in the world washes over me.

I land with a thud on my back, winded. I lay there for a second to get my breath. "Need a hand up Granger?" I look up to the towering form of Cedric Diggory holding his hand out to me. I take his hand and he pulls me to my feet. "Takes a bit of getting used to, I fell on my arse more times than I care to remember before I got the hang of it." I smile at that, I thought he might laugh at me but no, he is sympathetic and trying to make me feel better, I guess the talk of him being a 'nice guy' are true.

"Thank you" I say as our hands unclasp. Cedric just shrugs and looks around.

We are in another large field, Mr Weasley is in conversation with another wizard who most defiantly isn't a muggleborn or had much to do with muggles at all judging by his attire. It always perplexes me that wizards find it hard to dress as muggles, it isn't really any different than how they dress themselves minus the cloaks but for some reason as soon as the world muggle is used it seems they all go a bit barmy, overzealous maybe, to fit in.

The trek starts again, this time at a more pleasant pace now we are not in any danger of missing anything, it is barely 7 am and the game doesn't start until tonight. I am glad I thought to bring some books with me.

We part ways with the Diggory's at a small stone cottage where it takes Mr Weasley entirely too long to count out muggle money for the farmer who is then Obliviated for asking too many questions by a ministry wizard.

Mr Weasley finds our plot and me and Harry are left with the unenviable task of putting up two tents, luckily for me I have done this a couple of times camping with the Brownies as a smaller child but poor Harry who has never had a holiday in all his life hasn't a clue, but we manage.

Whilst I have read about expanding charms before I have never seen one. As I step into the tent I am immediately reminded of the TARDIS from Dr Who and smile to myself, sometimes I am used to magic with its laws and rules, in its own way it is logical, you just need to think about it more than normal things but then something like this its just... well... it really is magical, something so absurd that you cannot help but be in awe of it.

The morning keeps bringing me to this thought, of wonder at the world I now find myself in, I have read all about how many wizards are in the world, where there are colonies of them, other schools around the world like Hogwarts, though not with the same high reputation, yet I have never seen this amount of witches and wizards at the same time in one place.

I have always thought that Hogwarts was big and Hogsmede whilst only a little Village did just have in it wizards and witches, I know there are places like this around Britain however the sheer size of this crowd is mind boggling. Yet this is just one field, I know there is at least one more like it where the Diggory's are camped.

Walking with Harry and Ron to get water from the tap in the corner of the field I stare, completely amazed, Ron has to keep telling me and Harry to get a move on. Ron doesn't understand, he is used to this kind of thing, he didn't even bat an eyelid at the wondrous tent which is bigger on the inside, his eyes didn't linger on the tents which had chimneys and gardens attached and he most certainly didn't comprehend that me and Harry hadn't seen anything like this in our whole lives.

"Would you two get a move on, I'm starving!" Ron whines over his shoulder.

"I very much doubt that Ron." I say throwing Harry a 'help me' look.

"Come on mate, me and Hermione haven't seen anything like this before, we cant help it if we want to look."

From then on Ron doesn't say anything about us hurrying up, but he does throw glances over his shoulder every few seconds with a scowl.

"Come on Harry." I say grabbing his arm. "Lets get this over with and stop him moaning then later we can look around all we want without Mr Grumpy annoying us." Harry shares a smile with me before meeting eyes with a sour faced Ron.

"Yeah, that's probably best, don't want the poor boy starving do we?" Harry grins at Ron

Ron pulls a mock hurt face which looks much more like he us constipated than anything, we all burst out in giggles and hurry on to the tap. Ron can blow his top sometimes but today, being at the world cup final is not one of them.


	2. Chapter 2

After eating our late breakfast of sausage and egg I go and sit by the opening to the girls tent for some peace, the boys and Ginny were all wrapped up in a big discussion of who would win tonight, the minister and Bagman who is in charge of magical sports are also in on the discussion.

I pull out my old worn copy of my favourite muggle book and begin to reacquaint myself with the world of Austin. I have been reading for a while, scenes of country dances and snarky comments from Mr Darcy dancing in my head. Elizabeth has just turned down Mr Collins proposal when a voice startles me, a few inches from my face.

"Anti social are we?" I look into the steel grey eyes of Cedric Diggory to scowl at him.

"The alternative seems to be to sit over with the others and confess my undying love for Viktor Krum like Ron, seems overkill me to, I will enjoy the game later but I am not interested in psychoanalysing the players to death."

Cedric smiles at that. "When you put it that way I may have to just sit here with you lest my reputation as intelligent Hufflepuff be sullied."

I snort at this. "Can't have that can we? What would your gaggle of female admirers think? Though they aren't present so you may be safe." This happens sometimes, when I have been reading Pride and Prejudice I will talk and even think in that old style of speech for a while.

"So how do you like it?" He asks gesturing around us with a wave of his large hand.

I think on this for a second, Cedric doesn't interrupt my silent musing. "It is strange. I know there are thousands upon thousands of witches and wizards out there… but to see so many here, all at once." I look down at my hands. "It is a little overwhelming… but amazing at the same time. I just mean…" I stop again to get my thoughts straight. "…The casual use of magic, the magical tents, the brooms, the sheer scope of it all, I haven't seen anything like it before and I cant stop glancing up all the time."

Cedric reaches out for the book still handling from my hand, I hand it to him and he examines the tatty cover. "Stopped looking long enough for this though?" He asks looking right in my eyes. I don't answer him, his tone was light and teasing. "Good book this." He comments placing it on the small table separating us.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "You've read it?"

"Find that hard to believe?" He asks with a quirk of his own eyebrow. "It is actually one of my favourite muggle books."

I think about this for a second, I know that both of Cedric's parents are wizards and he lives near Ron in a section of 'all wizard' Britain in Devon but other than that I don't really know anything about him apart from his school house, position on the Quidditch team and any rumours I have heard around school. "I just didn't think non muggleborns would read non wizarding books."

Cedric shifts his sitting position so he is angled more to face me. "For a muggleborns you are a little closed minded, You would be surprised I suppose to know I have read Austin, Cookson, King and The Bard to name a few."

"You have read Shakespeare?" I ask tilting my head.

"Only Romeo and Juliet but that was quite enough for me."

I smile and shake my head. "You didn't like it I take it?"

"Merlin no!" He replies making a face. "It wasn't a love story, it was an infatuation story, one that I find highly inappropriate for people now to call the greatest love story ever told, total bollocks. This…" Cedric say picking up my book again "…Is a proper love story, including the most important element of a proper romance, getting to know each other!"

I giggle at his criticism of The Bards greatest known story and his profanity, I am no stranger to it having been around the twins and Ginny who I scold swears like there's no tomorrow. "What is so wrong with it? It's romantic, fighting against the world for the one you love, fighting to be together."

Cedric really gets going after that comment, after throwing my book back on the table he sits forward in his seat to ensure he has my full, undivided attention. "They didn't love each other, they wanted each other because it was forbidden, it's just human nature, you cant have something so it means you think you want it more but once you have it you don't give two shits about it."

I wet my lips slightly before speaking. "But they didn't know who each other were when they first met and fell in love at first sight." I argue back, not really meaning it, Romeo and Juliet always struck me as the 'this is how not to do it' guide to a relationship.

Cedric snorts his disapproval. "Again, that was not love, that was lust and infatuation, Romeo shouldn't have even been thinking about Juliet, he was already taken or have you forgot about his girlfriend?"

I smile at this. "No, but I think he did."

Cedric studies me for a second; I turn away from his gaze, which feels overly intense. "You agree with me."

"Was that a question or statement of fact?" I shoot back with a half smile.

Cedric laughs and points right at me. "Ha! You do agree."

"As you have said yourself Mr Diggory they only wanted each other because they couldn't have each other, it's the old 'big red button' theory."

"Big red what?" He asks looking genuinely confused.

"If I were to put a big red button in front of you which said do not push on it then left you alone with it how long do you think it would take you to push it?"

Cedric laughs at this. "Oh about a second after you left the room, defiantly…" He pauses a second. "…Actually might be before you leave the room" The last part of the statement has me giggling, in my minds eye I can see Cedric trying to be sneaky and devious hiding in shadows to press the big red button and failing miserably.

"The images that conjures are quite amusing." I say between giggles.

"What? I can't be snide?" Cedric asks with mock shock and offence.

Without a seconds thought I shoot back. "No you cant, you are too tall."

Cedric grins at me. "I notice you didn't say too honest like most would."

"I do not know you Cedric Diggory, you could be the most dishonest person in the world, a real no good sort out to lie and cheat and steal your way into fame or fortune."

Cedric studies me again; this scrutiny is making me shift in my seat. "Well, let me put your mind at rest, I have been likened by one of the most brilliant women in the world to Mr Bingley, who whilst it can be argued is sometimes too nice he is never once criticised as being dishonest."

My smile falters for a second, I have to know which of his many lady admirers thinks so highly of him. "And who would this amazing woman be?" I reply

Cedric sits back in his seat. "My Nanny Pippa." He replies hooking his hands behind his head to lean back further, a smug smile on his face.

I take a moment to comment as the knowledge of his admirer sinks in. "Well, no offence to your Nanny Pippa but I see you much more as a Mr Collins myself." As I say it I try to keep a straight face but fail miserably, especially as I get another fake, hurt and offended look from Cedric.

"You wound me." He comments, his voice on the edge of play hysteria complete with flinging his hand onto his brow.

"I Suppose I should be getting back to Dad." Cedric states quietly after a few moments of contented silence have descended upon us.

The sun is starting to set behind Cedric's head, a plethora of orange, red, yellow and gold making his hair look almost blonde in the dying light.

I look around for the others, they are all back in the tents, probably getting ready to go. "Oh, yes." I comment. How lame am I? "I guess I will see you at school?" It comes out more of a question than it was meant to. Hermione Granger. Social retard.

Cedric stands up to leave. "Defiantly Granger."

I watch him walk slowly away into the setting sun, when he is a few yards away I stand and call to him. "Farewell Mr Collins!"

Cedric spins and narrows his eyes at me, even from this distance I can see the corners of his mouth are pulled up into a smile. "Good day! Lady Catherine!" With that he grins for a second at my opened mouthed offence then jogs off before I can respond.

A badly executed wolf whistle makes me jump, I turn and find myself almost face to face with Ginny. "Finally Hermione, I thought you were totally blind to the male species, but now like the rest of us mere mortal girls you have finally discovered the god like creature that is Cedric Diggory."

I can feel my face turning pink and hot, I am glad the light is fading. "He's just a boy Ginny, not a god." I scold.

"I have yet to see any boy, god or not hold your undivided attention for that long before." Ginny says wiggling her eyebrows at me. "You fancy him!" She says before flouncing off back into our tent.

I follow her inside to get my coat, scarf and gloves but I do not say anything to either confirm or deny her comments, if there is one thing I know about Ginny it is her ability to twist anything around how she wants, anything I say would be an admission of my undying love for Cedric to her.

As I am putting on my left glove Ginny comes over and wraps her arms around my shoulders for a second before releasing me. "Come on Hermione, I was only joking!"

I sigh as I pull the glove on the rest of the way. "I know Ginny, it's just that…" my speech halts, almost like it is trapped in my throat, Ginny is my best female friend no doubt about it, not that, that means much. I have precisely three friends, Ginny, Harry and Ron, but do I admit to her that I do in fact like Cedric and not just to look at but that today I think I found the other half of my brain locked inside that beautiful boys head? "…I think I do like him…" I admit quietly.

Ginny must have super hearing because she heard my almost silent admission. "Good for you! Look Hermione, you cant spend the rest of your school life just stuck to my brother and Harry and you and Cedric… well… you seemed to be in your own little bubble before, I even came out and said hello to you both but neither of you heard me, you were sitting there in your seats, as close to the edge as possible, noses almost touching…" Ginny falters for a second. "… it was a bit weird to be honest."

Anything Ginny says after this I don't know, I am grinning like a fool to myself. Maybe he enjoyed our conversation too? I am not stupid enough to think anything romantic will ever happen between myself and Cedric but a friendship would be nice, and if what Ginny says it true then it's also possible.

That is the thought that follows me from the camp site to the stadium, so high above, screams of joy leap out my mouth along with the others and I can honestly say this is the best Quidditch match I have ever seen in my whole life.


	3. Chapter 3

Being back at Hogwarts is like being home, don't get me wrong I love my mother and father dearly but I never felt like I fit into the muggle world properly, not like I do here.

"Don't talk to me," Ron instructs in a quiet voice as he sits down at the dinner table after the first day of classes.

"Why not?" I ask gently wondering what has upset him.

Ron looks at me with a grin. "Because I want to fix that in my memory for ever, Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."

Harry laughs as do most of the other Gryffindors. "I'm just sorry I missed it." I admit.

Harry throws me a stunned look. "Hermione!"

"I know it was wrong of Moody to do but since he did it anyway it would have just been nice to see Malfoy get what was coming to him, just once." I smile at the boys gaping faces. "From what I heard from Lavender McGonagall cracked a smile too, once it was over."

Once the shock of my admission wears off I start shovelling beef casserole into my mouth only chewing as many times as absolutely necessary, I need to do some more research in the library.

"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" Harry asks watching me eat almost as horridly as Ron.

"Got to." I say between bites. "Loads to do."

"But you told us Professor Vector -" Ron starts

"It's not school work." I reply before taking a long swig of pumpkin juice and jumping out of my seat. "See you later."

I rush towards the library, my bag slipping off my shoulder at regular intervals. Turning the final corner whilst again trying to adjust my bag I into something solid, stumbling back I do not fall thanks to the steadying hands on my shoulders.

"In a hurry My Lady?" Looking up with a hot face I meet the steel grey eyes of Cedric Diggory.

His Comment has thrown me off guard, it takes my mind a second to catch up. "Oh, yes, well, I was just going to the library, a lady can never be too accomplished can she Mr Collins?"

"Indeed." He replies with a grin, my eyes dart down to where he still has hold of my shoulders. "Sorry." He mutters letting his hands fall away. "I was just heading to the library myself." He comments gesturing that we should walk.

I fall in step next to Cedric which I would have thought wasn't possible due to his long legs, but he walks slowly, whether he always does or if this is for my benefit I don't know. "Why are you going to the library? I didn't think you would have homework yet?"

Cedric looks down at me as we walk. "No, no homework yet, I just... The Sett is a little crowded and noisy at the moment, wanted some quiet."

We stop at the door, I reach out and grab the handle but pause to ask another question. "The Sett, that's the Hufflepuff common room isn't it?"

"Yeah." Cedric replies cocking his head. "They're all just a bit excited about the tournament and my friends seem to think it's their own personal quest to get me to enter."

The library door pushes open into my hand from the other side, we move out of the way as a second year Ravenclaw squeezes past me and Cedric who are hogging the width of the corridor. "I bet you would be great though." I say looking down at my shoes which are suddenly the most interesting thing in the whole world. "Not that I'm trying to bully you into it."

Cedric lets out an amused grunt. "Thanks." Peeking up I see he is running his hand through his hair not looking at me, his cheeks also look deliciously pink. "Sprout told me I should if I wanted to, she said I have the ability to do it and do it well, but well, she is my head of house, she would say that, it's like your mom saying it."

I reach out and hold the door handle once again for a quick exit. "Just because she cares about you doesn't mean it isn't true, and considering people have died before I would think if she really didn't think you could do it she would do the opposite and make sure you didn't enter." I don't give myself time to see Cedric's face and barge straight into the library, to my favourite table, tucked away at the back of the room. Way to ramble Granger I think as I slump down in my seat.

My head rests in my hands. He must think I am such an idiot. I'm lost in my own little world of frustration at myself when something bangs down on the table in front of me making my head jerk up with a startled Squeak.

"Sorry... Again..." Cedric says gesturing to the chair opposite me, asking if he can sit.

I nod my head. "Don't worry, you just made me jump."Cedric rests his folded arms on the table and leans forward to rest his head on them. "So, you got the dirt on me hiding out, what are you doing in the library

on the first day back to school?" Cedric asks with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Busying myself I pull out my notes from this afternoon along with the two large tomes I found mentioning house elves. "I'm researching house elves."

Cedric reaches over and pulls 'Magical Creatures and Where To Find Them' towards his side of the table. "Well this one wont tell you much."

I sigh heavily. "I know, I could only find these two, both only mention the elves in passing." Holding up my notes in exasperation I say. "This is all I could get from both of the books, I thought I would come back tonight and look for some more books, maybe if I cross reference cleaning spells or something..." I shake my head. "...I don't know. I just don't get how the elves can be so prevalent in wizarding society and yet there isn't any information on them and their plight."

Cedric gives me a confused look."Plight?"

This time it is my turn to throw him the confused look. "Yes their plight." I answer, Cedric is clever but how could he be so thick? How can the whole wizarding world just accept the house elves lives as they are? Why is no one doing something about it? "The elves are slaves Cedric and everyone just accepts it, just thinks it's fine to treat them like they do, making them punish themselves when they do something their 'masters'..." I air quote the word masters as I talk. "... wouldn't like. It's just barbaric."

Cedric takes a breath and wets his lips before commenting. "Hermione, it's great you care and want to help but do you really think other people have never questioned the system?"

I see red, just like Ron, Cedric seems to think it's just the way it goes and there is no point in trying. "How can you not question it? If you had seen the way Malfoy's elf..." I pause to take a breath to calm myself down. "...Just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean it shouldn't ever happen."

Cedric sits up to answer. "No, I didn't mean..." He also looks cross and mirrors my own intake of calming breath. "Please just listen and wait until I finish, you obviously feel very strong about this but hear me out first okay?"

I nod gently to Cedric's pleading and motion for him to continue. "Go on."

"The house elves aren't people." I can feel my face redden in anger as my eyes widen. Cedric holds up a hand to remind me to stay quiet until he is finished. "That isn't a bad thing, it is just a fact of life as a wizard, we have different creatures living alongside us, Elves, Goblins, Centaurs and they aren't human, they are different races with different beliefs and cultures and lives. The way some elves are treated is atrocious, I wont deny it but most of them are treated fairly and with consideration, they aren't ordered to do things but asked."

I look up, the anger having lessened considerably. "Do you have one?" I ask quietly.

Cedric smiles. "Yes, her name is Flower and she is one of the most caring, amazing creatures on this earth." I watch as his eyes cloud over for a second. "Like you, when I was younger I questioned my mother and father about the elves, asked Flower about it too, she was horrified, thought I was going to force her into clothes and get rid of her. I have never seen anyone in such a state, it was horrible."

I have heard this, that the elves like to serve. Even Dobby has gone back to it, but what else was he meant to do? "Isn't that just like Stockholm Syndrome or brainwashing though?"

"I don't think so." Cedric explains. "You see I told Flower she could still work for us but get paid and have holiday and all that human stuff, she wasn't interested, wailed and wailed until I promised I didn't mean it. She said it was what elves are made to do, they don't feel happy doing anything else." I shoot him an affronted look. Cedric holds his hands up in surrender. "I'm just telling you what happened, she told me stories of elves whose families were gone, the last of the particular wizarding line dying with no children, some went around to find work, some went mad, she said it was an elves worse nightmare." Cedric meets my eyes which have softened a little. "What you are setting out to do is good, helping the elves, I just think that you should speak to them, see what they want. Maybe set up some kind of place for mistreated elves to go or something but don't just assume they want to be free, it has to be their choice you cant just go barrelling in deciding what is best for them without asking."

I think on this for a moment. "You're right." I admit with a sigh. "It would be no better than what we did to the native Americans."

Madam Prince interrupts any further discussion. "Ten minutes until closing." She calls to the library at large. I shove my parchment and quills back into my beg before setting it on my shoulder. Cedric reaches out and picks up the two books still on the table. "Tell you what Granger..." Cedric starts as we walk towards the front of the library. "Come find me this weekend and I'll take you down to the kitchens so you can meet some elves."

Cedric deposits the books on the trolley to be put back in the stacks then turns to look at me, his head cocked slightly to the side waiting for a response. "That would be wonderful, thank you" Again I cant help but notice how fascinating my shoes are, all black and shiny and shoe-like.

"Cool." Cedric nods as he speaks, hands once again tangled in his hair. "I better get back to The Sett before they send a search party." I walk through the door he is holding open for me. "I'll erm... see you this weekend then Granger." After I have walked through the door Cedric strides off his long legs carrying him away much faster than I would be able to keep up with.


	4. Chapter 4

How could Moody do that? Don't get me wrong, I think we should be prepared, God knows Voldemort is after Harry and that all of us need to be ready when the time comes... but to show the Unforgivabe's to a group of fourteen and fifteen year olds? It just strikes me as wrong especially for an Auror. Something doesn't quite add up about him, his complete disregard for the rules strikes me as odd, he was a law enforcer surely he should be more careful about rules?

I reach out and pull 'Famous Aurors throughout time' towards myself, already open at Moody's page. Alistair Moody, upstanding Auror... one of the best records of catching dark wizards. The page shows a picture of Moody in his younger days smiling at the camera, still an imposing and rather ghastly sight, leaning on his wooden cane.

I stare at the picture for a few minutes, my brain trying to make a coherent connection to the strange feeling I got in his lesson today. I look up as I hear footsteps approaching and see Cedric striding towards me, I offer him a small wave which he returns with a grin.

"Still looking for stuff on elves?" Cedric asks plonking himself down on the seat next to me in the library.

"Yes and no." I answer sorting through various pieces of parchment. "I'm looking up Moody." Cedric will probably think I am strange, all the students love the ex Auror, between the Malfoy incident and his approach to DADA he has everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. I have even heard the teachers comment on how he has got all the students talking about defence and what they are likely to study for the rest of the year in exited tones.

Cedric doesn't look shocked by my interest in our new teacher. "Don't like his lessons?"

"Well yes, no..." I shuffle my papers. "He really upset Neville today, me too if I'm honest, I don't think I was ready to see the unforgivables without any warnings, then he just blurts out right there and then that only one person ever has survived the killing curse, like everyone didn't already know." I sigh gently. "Harry gets enough attention and I don't think he needed to see the killing curse any more than Neville should have seen the Cruciatus."

Cedric bows his head slightly. "Yeah, that wasn't right, cruel even."

"I don't know what to make of him, He strikes me as a little..." I start but Cedric interrupts me before I can finish.

"Mad?"

I laugh a little. "Well yes, but not in a good way. He just gives me this weird feeling, it's in his eye, the real one I mean."

Cedric nods. "I think I know what you mean. I have met him before, when I was younger, at the ministry with my father." I raise my eyebrows. "He doesn't seem the same to me, he's different. I know time changes people but..." He waves his hand in dismissal. "And that flask, I never saw him with it before."

I smile. "I know what you mean, the flask, it's been driving me crazy trying to figure out what is in there, it could of course be totally normal... maybe some sort of vitamin type thing, seems like what he would do, constant vigilance."

Cedric looks over some of the papers in front of me. "Maybe we should find out?" He asks with a wink.

So for the rest of the week and into the next I meet Cedric in the library every night, I don't get to go down to the kitchens to see the elves as we are too busy trying to find a way of getting Moody's flask away from him. Not that I mind, I mean why else would someone like me get to spend time with someone like Cedric?

As the week passes I get much more comfortable with Cedric, I no longer blush at his lurid remarks and my shoes will soon be jealous that I am not giving them enough attention. Cedric is clever and witty with a black sense of humour which weaves beautifully with my own pessimistic sarcasm.

He seems to enjoy our conversations as much as me as we spend as much time discussing the Moody problem as we do anything and everything else in the world. You would think we would have ran out of things to discuss but as soon as we exhaust one topic we move onto something else and once we cant think of another Cedric inevitably starts asking about my life before Hogwarts, what it is like being a muggle, all about the world. I don't mind though he is just curious and not in the way Mr Weasley is, Cedric wants to know about me, my life, my family. I tell him little about my family and skip over friends before I started school here, mostly since I didn't have any, with questions about his own upbringing.

Harry and Ron assume I am researching elves still and Cedric's friends seem as allergic to the library as mine. "Maybe if we can get alone with him? Create a diversion and get at it, take a sample and put it back so he doesn't know it's gone?" Cedric proposes. We have been round in circles for days now.

"He never takes it off his belt though." I practically whine.

Cedric slides a sideways smile my way. "True, however..." He pauses a second, checking his has my full attention. "...That flask isn't very big, it cant hold more than a days worth with the amount he drinks it..."

My eyes widen in understanding, a plan starting to form in my head. "He has to have more, hidden away... probably in his rooms."

Cedric is full on grinning now. "We just have to get to it."

I bite my lip thinking. "We need to get into his rooms." I could maybe use Harry's map and cloak, but that would mean I would have to tell Cedric about them and they aren't my secrets to tell. "How do you get into the rooms of the most paranoid man on the planet?" I ask Cedric.

"That does pose a problem." Cedric admits tapping his quill on the desk top. "This is so frustrating!" Cedric groans dropping the quill.

I stand up from the table and begin to pace back and forth, walking usually helps me think. "If we could draw him away, one of us... the other could get into his rooms" I stop pacing and look towards Cedric already knowing what he will say.

Shaking his head Cedric answers. "He's too paranoid, we wouldn't stand a chance of getting into his rooms without him letting us." I pace in silence for a while. "You said Longbottom was in his rooms?" Cedric asks for the hundredth time.

"Yes but he was in there because Moody upset him, he invited him." I say continuing my pacing.

Cedric watches me for a few minutes, both of us silent. "Would you please stop doing that?" Cedric asks after a while.

"What?" I ask halting.

"That." He comments pointing to me, "The pacing, it's making me nauseous."

I snort but sit down next to him. "What you gonna do Mr Prefect, give me detention?" I ask with my eyebrows raised.

Cedric's mouth drops open. "Miss Granger, you are a genius!" he says jumping up from his seat which earns a 'shh' from Prince.

I stand too. "What?" I ask trying to catch up to wherever his mind has gone.

Cedric grabs me by the waist and spins me round, I have to hold in a squeal lest we are kicked out. Cedric is holding me, Cedric is hugging me... I cant find my breath even as he places me on my feet, hands clasping mine. I am distracted by the sheer size of his hands which all but swallow mine up, his palms slightly rough, something I am used to from Harry and have always assumed was to do with riding a broom often.

"Detention." Is the only answer I get for a moment, his eyes scanning mine for understanding. "Unless it's Snape, all the other teachers have you in their offices for detention, their offices which are connected to their private rooms."

I grin. "One of us gets detention, the other waits until the detention is going on then gets Moody, keeps him busy for few minutes giving the other time to sneak into his rooms and take a sample of his potion or whatever it is."

Cedric nods manically. "We can so do this."

"But..." I bite my lip to think. "...Which one of us is going to get detention, and how exactly do you get detention from Moody?"

He takes in a deep breath through his nose. "Well, the way I see it I would probably be better in the detention."

I nod. "We need to come up with something for me to say to him too, how I can get him away from you long enough for you to search."

"I don't suppose girl problems will work?" Cedric asks, serious or not I cant tell.

"Most men run a mile at the word period." I smile as I see Cedric cringe at my crassness. "I could..." I think for a moment, would this be wrong? "... I could say it's something about Harry, Moody seems to be very interested in him, it might get him talking long enough if I can come up with a convincing enough lie."

"Tell you what?" Cedric asks after glancing at the clock. "You work on your lie and I will work on how to get into detention. Meet here tomorrow at the usual time and we can pool ideas."

I make my way back to the dormitory and tuck myself up in bed. I try to think about my side of the plan but can think of nothing but Cedric, willing even as a prefect to get in trouble for a good cause, well I hope it's a good cause, if it turns out that Moody is not hiding anything then this whole thing has been for nothing... well, not for me, I got to know Cedric.

I turn frustrated, shut up about Cedric stupid brain, I am meant to be working out what to say to Moody.

If I draw him away from the room too much he might make Cedric come with us, or lock his private rooms or something, I need to talk to him about something that wont need immediate attention but also needs to be said there and then.

All I come back to is Harry, Moody is an Auror and wants to protect him. I suppose I could ask him about being an Auror, what it takes and stuff... no... we could talk about that in the room with Cedric, he would just invite me inside.

This is insane! I am supposed to be clever and I cant even think of a lie! If only I could confide in the twins, I am sure they would be able to spout me off one in a second that would work!

Think Granger! I smile to myself, that's what Cedric calls me, well when he isn't calling me Lady Catherine or a deviation of it.

'Boys are a dangerous distraction' I chant this to myself in my head, lips moving silently forming the words but not speaking them. 'I will not end up like my mother.' I say to myself in a whisper. My rebellious brain has other ideas though as I sleep, my dreams feature a tall, steel eyed Hufflepuff who sweeps me off my feet with no regard for my mantras or my mothers incessant warnings.

In the early hours of the morning I drift in and out of sleep, flitting from dreams of Cedric to those of Moody and the plan, my subconscious deciding that I need a good scare, Moody transforms from himself to Lucius Malfoy to Dumbledore, then through to Snape and Vector until finally resting on being Voldemort.

It is as I wake up, tears fresh in my eyes that I finally realise what I have to do, I know exactly how to get Moody away from his room for Cedric and Cedric was right, it has to be him in the detention or the plan will not work.


	5. Chapter 5

The butterflies are really starting to set in now as I sit at the dinner table, it's the night before the other two magical schools arrive but that isn't what is making me so nervous I can barely eat my shepherds pie.

The plan is finally in motion, it took Cedric another few days to come up with how to get a detention from Moody, he hasn't told me how he has done it yet, but then again I haven't exactly told him all of my plan either, all he knows is that he is to come outside once he has the sample to let me know he has it.

I watch Cedric stand from the table just a couple of minutes after pudding is served, as he passes by the Gryffindor table he raises his eyebrows at me, I smile back gently in response.

"What's with you and Diggory?" Ron asks reaching for the custard.

"What, nothing." I say a little quickly.

Harry looks at me with a smile. "Oh come on Hermione, you've been with him almost every night the past week in the library."

I don't know what to say to that so just sit, very aware that my face is turning pink.

Ron puts in again. "I overheard one of Cedric's friend, that Summers bloke saying you two have been getting pretty chummy, hunkered down in a little out of the way table, being all secretive about it."

I narrow my eyes at Ron slightly. "What I do and who I do it with are none of your business Ronald, Cedric is just a friend and we have been helping each other out with a problem we have both been having, that's all."

Ron holds his hand up in surrender. "I wasn't saying there was anything wrong with it, just that you hadn't told any of us, we had to hear it from some sixth year Hufflepuff."

"It's not like I was sneaking off, I just went to the library but I suppose since you all seem to be deathly allergic to the place it isn't surprising you haven't seen us there." I say trying to lighten the conversation back up, Ginny laughs at my comment which in turn makes Ron tell her to shut up and so the whole thing is forgotten, Well... until the end of dinner at least.

I get up to leave the table and carry out the plan when Harry asks me. "Where you going now?" I smile innocently at him. "What the hell are you two doing in there?" He asks sounding concerned.

I drop my bag back to my seat and lean in between Ron and Harry. "Listen, I promise I will tell you either tonight or tomorrow, okay?" I ask looking at them each in turn.

It is neither Harry or Ron who answers me though, it is Ginny who had leaned in to listen. "Fine, but I want all the gory details!"

Ron goes a lovely shade of lobster whilst I stutter for a second before once again trying to impress upon them that Cedric is just my friend, Ginny waves this off with a "whatever" clearly not believing me whilst the boys just look at her. I make my escape quickly.

'Okay', I think to myself 'I can do this'. I make my way towards Moody's office and duck into a classroom opposite to prepare. I pull out my secret weapon from my robes pocket and take a deep breath.

'Filthy mudblood', 'Know it all', 'good for nothing'. I will fail at everything I ever do, I will not pass my OWLs which will mean my wand will be snapped and I will be expelled from the only place I have ever belonged. I will be forced to go back to muggle society, I will have to get a job in manual labour, never using my brain, slowly turning mad. Once I age a little I will live in a horrible, dirty, rat infested hovel of a bedsit with prostitutes and drug addicts for neighbours, I will never better myself and will be stuck there for the rest of my life with the type of people I belong with. I am not special, I am not good, I am a stupid little bitch who should have been aborted by my mother like she said when I was twelve.

I can never be pretty or desirably, I am an ugly piece of shit who should be stomped out of existence for the betterment of the world. I disgust people and should not be allowed in civilised society, I should go live in a cave on some godforsaken country with nothing but rocks for company.

I can feel my throat closing up slightly, an ache forming in my chest. I close my eyes and picture all I think, really seeing myself in the situations. I unscrew the cap of the Olbas Oil and turn it upside down onto my finger, I rub a drop under my nose which immediately starts running and rub another couple of drops into my fingertips for use later.

I shake my head roughly to dislodge some of my hair from its ponytail to give me a more distraught look and walk across the corridor to Moody's door. I knock gently, trying to convey hesitance.

The door is roughly yanked open by Moody who looks down at me in confusion. I sniff, not so much for effect but because the oil really is that good. "Can I talk to you please professor?" I ask hitching my breathing on the word please with a fake sob.

"Miss Granger, are you quite alright?"

I look up into his imposing face and shake my head. "I... I... don't think so."

Moody takes a moment to study my face before turning to look in the room behind him where Cedric is seated at the front, writing away. "I will just be outside for a moment Mr Diggory, carry on." I hear Cedric quietly say "Yes Professor." when Moody shuts the door.

The nerves have hit me again, now I am standing in front of him all I can think is 'what if he doesn't have anything to hide'. Ignoring the voice in the back of my head I rub my eyes with my oiled fingers, the results are immediate, I can feel my eyes puff up and can now barely see though the liquid gathering in them.

Moody gestures to the classroom I have just vacated to talk. I follow him in the room and sit on one of the chairs, I let my beg fall heavily to the floor "It's just so hard!" I manage to get out before going into full blown sobs.

I glance up after a minute of sobbing and notice that Moody is standing next to me, his hand hovering over my shoulder, not sure if he should pat me better I suppose. "There, there Miss Granger, what ever is the matter?"

I throw my head into my folded arms on the table whilst wailing incoherently for a while, allowing words to sometimes spill out. "They said... And Harry... Boys just... Ginny doesn't..." Finally I get a whole sentence out. "They don't understand!"

I feel his hand rubbing the top of my back. "Now, now Miss Granger, nothing is worth all this, let alone a boy."

By this point I just latch onto what Moody is saying, letting him think he knows what is going on. "But he doesn't even know I exist!" I wail thumping my head on my arm.

"There's no need to hurt yourself." Moody says stilling my movement with a gentle hand on my head.

My head is still buried in my arms on the table when I hear a quiet voice from the doorway. "Sorry Professor, I heard crying... I just thought I should see what's wrong." Moody turns to face Cedric and so do I. "Merlin! Hermione are you alright?" He doesn't miss a beat as he rushes towards me. "What in the world happened?" He says kneeling beside me.

I don't answer for fear I may laugh so just sniff a few times. "Maybe you should take Miss Granger to the infirmary, get some pepper up potion." Moody instructs Cedric who in turn rushes back to Moodys room, grabs his bag and then escorts me down the stairs towards Madam Pomfrey.

We carry on towards the infirmary until well out of sight of Moody, even with his magical eye. Cedric stops us with a raise of his hand and we barrel into the next classroom we pass.

"What in Merlin's name what that?" Cedric asks pulling out a handkerchief from his robes.

I wipe my eyes gently before going to the sink in the corner to wash my face and hands of the oil. "It occurred to me, when I was thinking back to you mentioning 'lady problems' being a possibility that whilst not right on the whole subject, your general idea was right." I say as I pat my face dry with the bottom of my robes. "If there is one thing I know about the male species it is that they hate to see a girl cry so will either run away from it or try to stop them, and since Moody is a teacher, he had to take the second course of action."

Cedric beams at me. "Genius... Sexist... but genius."

"Well?" I ask walking towards the Hufflepuff. "What is it?"

Cedric takes a small metal vial out of his pocket and unscrews the cap. "I didn't get a chance to really look at it before, I was worried he was going to come back in or something."

I stand close to Cedric as he finally gets the lid off. A smell, all too familiar washes over me taking me back to hours spent hiding in the girls toilets whilst Moaning Myrtle laughed at me. I gasp. "That's polyjuice potion." I say stepping back from Cedric with wide eyes. "Ready to drink polyjuice potion, the catalyst is already in there."

"No... That... Oh my god."

We stand in stunned silence for what seems like eternity, I am unable to think properly. The only thing I can really think of is that we need to tell Dumbledore, right away. I voice this to Cedric who nods absent-mindedly before roughly shaking his head and putting the lid back on the potion.

"Moody isn't really Moody." I voice, though neither of us are that slow on the uptake I feel it needs to be said out loud.

"Who the fuck is he?" Cedric asks me, looking like I might know the answer.

I shake my head. "Come on, lets get Dumbledore." I say setting my bag on my shoulder and walking towards the door. Cedric follows quickly behind me.

Half an hour later we are still in the Headmasters office. "You are sure?" Dumbledore asks us again.

"Yes sir." I say quietly. "It was in his room sir, it is completed polyjuice potion, the man who has been teaching us defence this term is not the real Alistair Moody."

Dumbledore finally takes the vile from the table and examines it, opening and sniffing the contents. "Both of you, you will not say anything to any one else until I have investigated this matter." We nod. "I will be taking this up with Professor Moody presently, please go back to your common rooms, it is almost curfew."

I take this as being dismissed so stand muttering a "thank you Professor" before following Cedric down the spiral staircase. "Goodnight Granger" Cedric says lingering at the stairs.

I nod. "Night Diggory." Cedric holds a hand up, waving goodbye as he descends the stairs towards his common room, I climb up, ready for a nice night of tossing and turning, wondering who the hell the fake Moody is and what he has been doing at Hogwarts for the last two months.


	6. Chapter 6

After the arrival of the two other schools I sit at the Gryffindor table thinking about fame and how intrusive it must be, Harry and Ron are positively salivating over Krum, as are most of the other students, even the ones from Beauxbatons. How hard must it be to be watched constantly? I get a small taste of it from being friends with Harry but the total scrutiny that's going on right now is appalling.

I listen, ashamed of the other students behaviour. Seamus is currently planning with Dean how he will get Krum's autograph, Ron is practically dribbling over his black pudding whilst staring at one of the girls from Beauxbatons, being drawn into a debate regarding his theory that she is part Veela.

Dumbledore stands and with no words calls the hall to order. "The moment has come. The Triwizard tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket just to clarify the procedure which we will be following this year. But firstly, let me introduce, for those of you who do not know them, Mr Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-Operation..."

I clap politely along with the rest of the table before glancing at the Hufflepuff table, sure enough Cedric catches my eye and raises an eyebrow at me before very deliberately raising his shoulders in a 'I don't know' gesture.

Bartemius Crouch Junior was Moody, well, the person we thought was Moody. Dumbledore told me and Cedric that much this morning after catching us at breakfast. What the hell is his father doing here? Does he know what happened? Does he realise his son is now locked up in the most secure prison in the world?

I miss what I assume is the announcement of Ludo Bagman, but join in on the loud applause he gets which he acknowledges with a wave, I also miss whatever Dumbledore says next, something to do with the organisation of the tournament, I do catch that Crouch and Bagman will both be judges along with the heads of all three schools.

After instructions from Dumbledore, Filch carries an old, worn wooden chest to the pulpit next to him. "The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have been examined by Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways … their magical prowess – their daring – their powers of deduction – and, of course, their ability to cope with danger." Dumbledore says.

I look around the hall as Dumbledore pauses, every eye is trained on the headmaster, I can hear no whispering or shuffling. It is almost as if Dumbledore has cast a petrification spell over the entire great hall.

"As you know, three champions compete in the Tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector … the Goblet of Fire."

After tapping his wand on the chest, Dumbledore pulls out a large wooden cup which is plain and rather shabby looking but for the blue-white flames dancing inside and over the rim.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment, and drop it into the Goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the Goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The Goblet will be placed in the Entrance Hall tonight where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete."

Dumbledore then impresses upon us all how dangerous the tasks will be and also about the age line he will be drawing to prevent anyone under the age of seventeen entering and with that the feast is over and we are ordered to bed.

As we reach the doors to the great hall so do the Durmstrang students and their headmaster who takes an unsurprising interest in Harry. As I stand waiting for Karkaroff to stop gaping at Harry I hear a sniffling next to me where Ron is once again staring.

I look up at the tall, imposing figure of Viktor Krum who is discreetly trying to wipe his nose on his sleeve. Shoving my hand deep in my pocket I fish out the handkerchief Cedric gave me yesterday and and offer it to Krum.

"Thank you." The bottom right hand side of his mouth twitches in what I assume is supposed to be a smile.

"You're Welcome." I mutter back just before Karkaroff is finished examining Harry and moves on, Krum following behind wiping his nose on what was once Cedric's hanky.

The next morning me and the boys go down to breakfast early, this will probably be our only chance to see the Goblet at work in our lives, so cannot be missed.

As I munch away on a slice of jam on toast the others, along with Seamus and Dean are discussing who from Hogwarts will be putting their name in and who will ultimately be chosen.

"And all the Hufflepuff's are talking about Diggory," Seamus comments. "But I wouldn't have thought he'd have wanted to risk his good looks."

"Cedric doesn't give two figs about his 'good looks' Seamus, he's clever and would make a great champion, a fair sight better than Warrington." I shoot back probably a little too defensibly.

Seamus doesn't seem to know what to say to that for a second, finally he says. "Well, yes he would be better than a Slytherin but it would be nice to have a Gryffindor chosen, Dumbledore did say you need to be brave."

"Don't mind her Seamus, Hermione and Diggory have been inseparable since the start of term, I think she has a crush." Ron says grinning at me.

"I do not have a crush, shut up Ronald." I say trying to hide my face.

"You loooooove him." Ron again comments before swiftly dodging my back handed slap aimed at his arm.

"Listen!" Harry suddenly interjects the inevitable fight me and Ron would have got into. I fall silent and listen as cheering can be heard coming from the great hall where the Cup is stationed, soon after Angelina Johnson comes and sits at the table opposite me.

"Well, I've done it! Just put my name in!" Angelina says beaming and blushing at the same time.

The rest of breakfast is made up of us all congratulating Angela and passing on our wishes that she is chosen. We linger after eating in the great hall for a little while to see who else puts their names in. After a few minutes the Beauxbaton students arrive to put their names in the cup in an orderly, almost regimented fashion.

Just when things slow down in the hall and me and the boys are ready to move on to go see Hagrid more cheering can be heard coming outside. I watch as what can only be described as a swarm of Hufflepuff's enter the room with Cedric, red faced but grinning, at their core.

With a push from one boy Cedric crosses the age line in a stumble before pulling out a slip of parchment from his pocket and slipping it gently into the fire. With that the mob cheers again then breaks up, the sea of yellow and black ties surging into the great hall for breakfast.

Cedric approaches me with a spring in his step. "Do you approve?" He asks holding his hands behind his back whilst bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet with a look on his face that reminds me of a toddler on Christmas morning.

I smile up at his beaming face amused. "You will be brilliant of course, just be careful." I warn in my best mothering tone complete with wagging finger.

Cedric snorts at that. "I will be Granger, don't you worry." Silence follows for a few seconds whilst Cedric looks around the room at other students milling in the entrance hall.

I break the silence with a question. "I suppose I should say good luck?" I ask with a quirk of my left eyebrow.

"Yeah I suppose you should." Cedric again grins at me still bouncing, the imagery of a child is all that seems to fit, one who has had way too many E numbers and sugar.

This time I snort at him. "I'm not sure I should, all this attention seems to be making you a bit cocky." I challenge tilting my head to the side a little.

Cedric holds his hand to his chest. "Me, Hufflepuff, Cedric 'Honest' Diggory... cocky?"

I laugh at his pouting face which only eggs him on to pout harder.

"Hermione!" I turn to see Harry gesturing to the door, time to see Hagrid. I gesture back to Harry that I will be 'just a minute'.

"Well, good luck to you Mr Diggory, I wish you all the best in your endeavours." I say doing a small curtsey.

"Now that is more like it!" Cedric states standing up even straighter, holding his nose in the air for a beat before looking back down at me, the humour gone from his face. "Seriously though Granger... I need to ask you something... a favour... well help I suppose..."

I look quizzically at him waiting for further explanation.

"If I do get chosen, which I doubt... would you help me? Dumbledore said teachers couldn't help but he didn't say I couldn't get help from other students and you seem the best person to ask."

I stare open mouthed for a moment. "Me?" I ask shocked.

"Well yeah, you were brilliant with the Moody thing..." He starts.

"I hardly think you will be able to cry yourself through one of the tasks." I interject. It might sound like a joke but I am deadly serious, what do I know of wizarding tournaments? I have no idea what the tasks will entail and as I was saying to Harry and Ron last night I highly doubt a fourth year like myself would have anywhere near enough expertise and experience to have anything to do with the tournament.

"Oh come on Hermione." Cedric pleads. "You are much more than that and you know it, I know you pretty much single handedly got your friends past those traps and stuff set up by the teachers in your first year, and you have managed to keep Harry alive since he has been at Hogwarts when there are always people after him."

"Hermione!" This time it is Ron who shouts to me. "Come on!"

I hold my hand up to stop Cedric. "I didn't do those things alone, I had a lot of help... but yes, if it means that much to you I will help you." I finish with a smile.

Suddenly I am off my feet, being held up by Cedric in his arms, he is spinning us both chanting 'Thank you!' over and over again in my ear. As soon as I start to feel a bit nauseous Cedric stops spinning and places me on my feet again, I stumble from dizziness which makes Cedric laugh and steady me by holding my shoulders. "Thank you." He says again looking me right in the eye, making sure I have heard him. "If I get it I'm bound to win with the brightest witch of her age on my side." Cedric adds still grinning and running his hand through his hair absent-mindedly lost in his own world before snapping back to reality. "I gotta go to breakfast, see you later yeah?" He doesn't stop to hear me answer, just sprints off to the great hall glancing back once to wave at me standing stock still in the middle of the room.


	7. Chapter 7

The atmosphere in the hall was more than electric. Dinner was split between excited chatter and deathly silence as everyone watched Dumbledore eat, slower than normal, I thought.

Viktor Krum was announced first, followed by Ron's new obsession, the blonde from Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour. When Dumbledore caught the Hogwart's parchment out of the cup he smiled to himself and paused for what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time, until finally announcing Cedric.

Now as I lie in bed my emotions are all over the place, I am happy for Cedric, he wanted this but I am worried too. The tournament is dangerous, people have died. At the same time I am proud, proud to have Cedric as our champion because he really does encompass Hogwart's as a whole better than any other person would, I guess it has something to do with him being a Hufflepuff, more rounded than the rest of us.

As I sleep I dream of Cedric, again.

A week has gone by and I haven't spoken to Cedric, I see him in the great hall or in the corridors, he waves and smiles to me but hasn't yet approached me. Maybe he didn't mean it, that he wanted my help, not that I blame him, it would just have been nice to spend some more time with him.

It is this thought that carries me towards the library from the Great Hall on a Saturday morning. I haven't made it far when I hear the sound of someone jogging towards me, I turn to see Viktor Krum approach.

"Hello." Krum says as he levels with me, stopping.

"Hello." I say back with a smile. Krum does nothing for a few seconds, I look around awkwardly. "...so..."

Krum studies me for a second before pulling out the handkerchief I gave him the night he arrived. "Thank you for this." He says handing it to me. "I have had it vashed." He adds quickly before I take it. "I hope it didn't upset your boyfriend."

I feel the puzzlement cross my face. "I don't know what you mean?"

"That is Cedric Diggory's." Krum states. "I have seen you vith him, in the hall when he put his name in."

I feel my face flush. "No, Cedric is just a friend." I say with a small smile.

I turn as I hear the unmistakable sound of the clipping of high heels on the stone floor not too far away. Krum peers around the corner before muttering something under his breath that I assume is swearing in his native tongue. "I haff to go." He comments before turning left to go towards the charms corridor.

I reach out and grasp his wrist. "Wait." I say pulling him back towards me. "If you are trying to avoid them that is not the way to go, the corridor loops around, they will be coming up that way soon."

The look of horror and panic in his eyes nearly makes me laugh. I tug on his wrist and we make off at a fast jog, I pause at a junction and check the way is clear before beckoning him on.

The run lasts ten minutes before we burst through the library doors which earns us a stern look from Prince. "This way." I say, breath quickened from the exercise and excitement. I drop his arm and lead the way through the stacks to a secluded table where we are unlikely to be found.

"I see I must thank you once again." Krum says as he sits down, he unlike myself is not even slightly winded.

I flop down into the seat opposite. "You're welcome."

Krum gives me the strange non smile he has. "I haff been rude." I don't answer as I cannot think what he means. "I haff not introduced myself." I snort at this, who doesn't know who he is? However he ignores me, sticks out his hand and says. "I am Viktor Krum, pleasure to meet you."

I give his hand a look before putting my own in it. "Hermione Granger."

"I vill probably butcher your name horribly." This time a real smile does come through and it is unexpected, making him look like a child, cute and kind, pretty much the opposite of what I have observed so far.

"Don't worry about it." I say releasing his hand.

We sit in silence for a while, I don't know what to say but Viktor doesn't seem to mind, he is looking around us, at the stacks. "You haff good library here." I don't comment, just nod. "Can I ask you Qvestion?"

I meet Viktor's dark eyes. "Of course."

"I do not mean it to sound arrogant, but..." Viktor starts.

I interject. "Why am I not chasing you around with a quill like the rest of the female population?"

Viktor nods. "Half of the males also." He says with no hint of humour.

I think for a second, I do not want to offend him. "There are a few reasons, mostly I just don't care about Quidditch, I don't see what value someone's signature has and I have seen how Harry's fame has affected him, how much he hates it..." I trail off.

"Harry Potter?" Krum asks.

I nod. "Yes, he doesn't always cope too well with how people treat him."

Viktor gently shakes his head. "I cannot imagine vot it must be like to be him."

It wasn't a question but I feel the need to answer him. "He hates it." I say with a sad smile. "Every time someone new meets him and knows who he is, they give him this look, they appraise him like some kind of prize animal or something, it's very unsettling and Harry gets embarrassed then he will spend the next couple of days thinking about why he is famous, thinking about his parents, comparing himself to the rest of us who have parents." I stop, it isn't my place to say this.

Viktor looks thoughtful. "It sounds terrible, I am afraid to say I haff done that to Harry also."

"So did I." I admit. "The first time I met him on the train in first year. I hadn't grown up hearing about it but I read enough about him before coming to school."

Viktor abruptly changes the subject, I think sensing my discomfort. "Vot is it like? Here at Hogvarts?"

I smile. "Brilliant." I comment. "It's just... home." I pause to get my thoughts in order. "I love learning and back in the muggle world everything was just so easy for me. But here..." I feel my eyes un-focus and I grin as I continue. "... There are all these new rules to learn about magic, and then the magic itself which isn't easy, it takes time and practice and I have to actually think about it."

"You are very happy here." Viktor states. "At Durmstrang it is different to here, it is stricter but you are right about the learning, it is almost like drug."

This time it is me who changes the subject. "How are you feeling about the tournament?"

Viktor thinks for a moment. "I am vorried but I vant to do this. I vant to show them that I am not just Qvidditch player, that I am not stupid like people say."

I get it, people assume he is stupid because he is big, athletic and can sometimes look a little vacant. "Good reason." I say quirting my eyebrows. "I get the opposite, they call me a know-it-all, not that I want to be athletic or anything, it's just that is all anyone ever sees in me."

Viktor smiles at me again. "Not Diggory, is he really just friend?"

I nod as I answer. "Yes."

"You do not vant him to be." Viktor challenges. I open my mouth and gape at him, he chuckles gently. "I am sorry, it is so obvious, the way you look at him."

"I didn't realise I was so transparent." I mutter back, head hung in embarrassment.

Viktor's smile fades. "I vos not meaning to offend, I vanted just to say I have seen him look the same vay at you."

I laugh, a full on snort escaping me. "Don't be so silly. He doesn't even know I exist anymore."

"Yes he does." Viktor argues. "I haff seen him look at you and heard him talk about you vith his friends."

A sad, sideways smile crosses my face. "He hasn't even spoken to me since he was made champion." I feel the loss of his friendship wash over me, almost making me tear up.

"He has been busy, ve all haff. If I am not training I am studying or sleeping, this is the first time I haff had to myself since being chosen." Viktor leans down to make me meet his eyes. "You miss him, I think he miss you also, give it time he vill come back."

My head raises. "Thank you."

"You are good person, good friend to haff, he vill see sense soon."

"So are you Viktor." I reply smiling, feeling better after his little pep talk.

-xXx-

I see Viktor regularly, hiding out in the library and we talk. We talk about everything, for some reason I feel I can say anything to him, mostly I brood over Cedric's continued absence which doesn't seem to bother Viktor, he in turn tells me how he misses his friends and family back home, none of whom have come to cheer him on at Hogwarts, he is truly alone here.

"Training is going vell." Viktor says in answer to my question a couple of days later.

"I cant imagine how frustrating it must be not to know what you are training for." I comment flicking through a book I found dedicated to all Triwizards tournaments that have taken place so far.

Viktor takes an audible breath. "It vill be hard and it is not nice, all ve can do is try to learn everything."

I grin at Viktor. "Because you just HATE that."

He returns my smile. "I do enjoy learning, it is still frustrating not knowing what I train for."

We have been through this a few times now, Viktor, for all his bravado and physical prowess is scared of what is to come, worried in equal parts that he wont be able to handle it mentally or will get injured or even killed. As much as Viktor loves to study he still wants to be a professional Quidditch player for as long as possible, he truly loves the game.

"How's the fan club?" I ask changing the subject, trying to make him feel better with a little teasing.

"They are driving me mad!" Viktor replies exasperated. "They vill not leave me alone, I cannot go for piss vithout audience, I haff taken to holding it until I can go in ship vhere they cannot get to me."

A laugh, loud enough for Prince to hear and shush from the other end of the library bursts out of my mouth. "That is just ridiculous!"

"I know this." Viktor shakes his head. "They vill not be happy until they are all my best friend I think."

"Or got in your pants." I say without thinking, which earns a laugh from him.

"I do not think there is anyone here who is my type."

"Really?" I ask genuinely puzzled. "There are also of nice looking girls here, in seventh year." I add curious.

"You haff not realised?" Viktor asks tilting his head to the side.

"Realised what?" I ask furrowing my eyebrows. I hope to hell he isn't going to say what I think he is because yes I like Viktor but just as a friend, he is funny and kind and mature but I do not find him attractive, it is not that he isn't attractive, I know he is, I can appreciate his handsome features but I prefer sharper faces, specifically Cedric shaped ones.

"How do I say?" Viktor asks himself aloud. "There is nothing wrong with your girls here. I am homosexual." There is a short pause. "No one knows, please do not tell."

My eyes widen. "Oh... I..." What the hell do I say to that?! There is nothing wrong with being gay, nothing at all it is perfectly natural, even animals have homosexual tendencies. Then I burst out laughing, I am so stupid, the hints have been there all along, little things that when you put them together make total sense. "Sorry, It's just..." I catch my breath between laughs. "I thought you were going to say you liked me!"

Viktor joins in laughing, now I know his secret we talk about other things, things a girl would normally talk to another girl about, it feels comfortable talking about them with Viktor. I don't think I could say half the things I say to him to Ginny. Viktor is also harbouring a crush for Cedric, so we find private places to fawn over him where no one will hear.

It had been two weeks since the last time I spoke to Cedric when I finally bump into him again.


	8. Chapter 8

The day is unseasonably warm for late October, I find myself once again reading Austin, if this is because of my obsession with the books or the one I have recently been harbouring for Cedric I don't know.

Down by the lake it is quiet, only a few students mill about around me and the giant squid is being strangely docile with Durmstrang's ship occupying its habitat. Harry and Ron declined to join me outside in favour of Wizard Chess, which for some reason I have never gotten along with, I know the rules but don't seem to get any pleasure out of playing… first year might have had something to do with that.

_'Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.'_

I close the book with a gentle sigh and a smile before rooting in the bag by me feet to retrieve my Transfiguration textbook. Why do I find this so hard? Why can I not get the stupid pincushion to turn into a bloody hedgehog? I scowl down at the offending pincushion, which has half fallen, out my bag.

"That's one hell of a death stare you have there Granger."

Turning I see Cedric striding up to me, when he reaches me he sits, none too gently on the grass beside me. "Hello stranger." I say before I can stop myself, oh god why did I say that?

"Sorry about that, it's just been real hectic you know?" Before I can say if I do or not he carries on. "If I'm not in lessons I'm being cornered in the Sett and if it isn't that it's that bloody Skeeter woman from the profit hounding me."

Smiling I tell him it's okay. "How are you coping?" I ask knowing how hard and stressful it has been for Viktor.

Cedric makes a so-so gesture. "I'm between emotional breakdowns right now." I snort. "No, seriously. Sometimes I'm scared out of my wits, then I get a bit confident because the cup chose me and it's supposed to know what it is doing which means it thinks I can handle it, then I worry about my school work which I am just not putting enough into because I'm worrying about the tournament and I kinda miss our secret agent act we had going in the library."

Inside my heart goes into overdrive beating at a hundred thousand miles an hour, he missed me? He liked the time we spent together? Outside I try to be cool and just smile at him… I am not sure if I pull it off or not. "Me too." I admit quietly.

"Okay so, I was thinking of killing two birds with one stone if you are up for it?" He asks raising his eyebrows at me, it seems like a challenge.

"Well from what you said I assume I am one of these poor little birds who is about to get stoned, what is the other?" I ask mirroring his own eyebrow raise.

Cedric smirks at me. "Helping me prepare for the tournament of course." The pause that follows only lasts a beat before he continues almost incoherently due to the speed of his speech and the fact he doesn't take a breath. "If you still want to, I mean if you don't want to just say, I wont mind, I mean I would love you to, but you don't have to."

"Yes, I would love to, if you still want?" I ask.

Cedric's answer is a grin before he jumps to his feet. "No time like the present Granger, Flitwick found an old classroom he said I can use any time for practice." I ram my book back in my rucksack before taking Cedric's outstretched hand, he pulls me up with surprising force so I almost bounce back down again. Once I am standing he reaches over and snatches my bag from the floor. "Merlin's pants! What the hell do you have in here?"

I look sheepish. "Books…" All I get for my comment is a roll of the eyes and a gesture to say lets get going.

Cedric leads the way through the castle and down into the dungeons, not towards Snape's classroom but towards where I think the kitchens are from Fred and George's descriptions. "Here." Cedric says holding a door open for me.

We are in a large classroom, probably about the size of the potions classroom but not tiered like a theatre. The room is flat but still round with desks and chairs piled up around the edges of the room save for two which are placed a few yards apart in the centre, Cedric places my bag on one of them before walking to the other to use as a chair.

Walking to my bag I sit on the table opposite Cedric. "Did they mention anything about the first task to you, something to give us a clue?" I ask, Viktor said they hadn't but he may have wanted to keep it from me, everything about this whole tournament is secretive.

"Just that it requires bravery, quick thinking and the only thing we can take with us is our wand." This was what Viktor had said. Cedric looks down at his hands. "Someone let something slip though, I wasn't meant to hear but I kinda did."

I raise my eyebrows. "You know what it is?"

"Dragons." Cedric answers with a grimace. "I don't know what we are meant to be doing with them but I heard Hagrid talking to Charlie Weasley by his hut…"

I make a face to indicate I have been stupid. "Of course!" I sigh. "Charlie said he would be seeing us at school and that he couldn't say anything further, it makes perfect sense!"

"Some of the teachers have given me a little advice, just that I should concentrate on what I am best at." He explains. "I assume they know what the task is and might be trying to give me a hint on what I should do but I'm not sure."

"Even if they don't know what they say makes sense, you can't learn loads of new things just in case, where would you start? Without knowing anything about the task at hand how can you be sure you are learning what is important?" I reply

Cedric jumps up from the table. "That's what I thought but if they do know then my best subjects aren't going to do anything against a dragon."

I bite my lip. "No magic does much to a dragon." I agree. "What are your best subjects?"

Cedric paces a little, back and forth in front of his table, running his right hand through his already messy hair. "Charms and Transfiguration."

Standing I also start to pace. "You will have your wand, you can't really injure or do anything to the dragon because its skin is so thick, you could go for the eyes which is their weakest point…" I say thinking aloud. "…But from the ground you might not be able to get the angle, and you will need to stay out of sight as much as possible or it will turn you into charcoal…"

Cedric picks up the train of thought and continues where I left off. "Exactly, so I need to stay out of sight, I can disillusion myself but they wont fool it for long, their sense of smell is too good, it will find me quickly…"

I turn abruptly and grin at Cedric. "Distractions." Is the only answer I give to his questioning look.

"Animal transfiguration?" I don't think he is asking me the question but himself. "It might work, distract it long enough to do whatever the hell it is I am meant to do."

I nod vigorously. "As many as you can as fast as you can, there has to be something in there with you otherwise the dragon would just be able to get at you straight away and since they are trying to make it safer and no one would be able to survive a full blown attack there must be stuff you can hide behind." I conclude.

Cedric perches on the edge of his table grinning. "See, this is why I asked you to help, you are bloody brilliant!"

I smile back at him whilst trying to think of a plan. "I don't know how much help I will be, I'm not doing too well with animal transfiguration, my bloody hedgehog has half quills, half pins, but I can cheer you on." I say hoping he will let me stay even though I am of no use.

Cedric frowns at my self put-down. "Why don't I show you? Whenever I have helped people in the past with stuff it gives me a better understanding too."

I look up from my hands and offer him a smile. "If you think it would help." I say.

Cedric obviously decides it will so strides over to where I sit. "Right then, get out the pincushion show me where you are at and then I can see what's off."

I hand the pincushion over smiling to myself, not once did Cedric indicate I was doing it wrong, just that it wasn't perfect. Cedric places the object onto the table he had previously occupied then takes a step to the side to watch me perform the spell.

Taking a deep breath I say the incantation and do the wand movement described in all the books I have been pouring over, the result as every other time I have performed this spell is that the cushion turns mostly into a hedgehog, a portion of its quills on the right hand side are silver and thin.

I turn to Cedric with a questioning look, he seems deep in thought. "I know what it is." He simply states before reversing the spell so the cushion is just a cushion once again. "How did you get on with the other spells so far?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Fine, up until now I was able to do them all perfectly after a couple of tries but this one for some reason I can't."

Cedric offers me a half smile. "This is the one that ups the game, it is bigger and more complicated and looks less like the animal you are trying to make it, I think that's what is messing you up."

"Okay" I say nodding, I feel better now, I don't think Cedric would lie about this and I think he is right about the difficulty, no one else is even getting close to where I am yet.

"Right, I need you to follow my every instruction and trust me, okay?" Cedric asks gently.

I bite my lip but nod at him.

Cedric roots around in his pocket before placing a length of string on the table next to the cushion. "I am going to tell you something about transfiguration that isn't in the books but it's really important if you want to be good at it."

I furrow my brow. "Why would they leave it out?" I ask.

Cedric shrugs at me. "Maybe because it's a bit new age." My confusion deepens. "Transfiguration isn't all about the wand movement and the incantation, it's a feeling." Cedric is pacing again. "It takes a good imagination and the ability to really know what you want and to almost will that image into existence."

I smirk.

"As you know from your lessons the easiest transfigurations are ones that make something that looks like the original object, so I want you to look at this sting." He says pointing. "Just go with me on this…" I turn to nod at him before staring at the string. "…now close your eyes." I turn to him again with my eyebrows raised. "…Just do it Granger…" I do. "…I want you to imagine a quill, the length of that string. And I don't want you to just imagine it, I want you to memorise every detail of it… what it looks like, how it feels in your hand, how soft is it? how it writes…" Cedric pauses for a few seconds before continuing. "Have you got it fixed in your head.

"Yes." I say really thinking about it.

"I want you now to open your eyes, look at that string and replace the string in your head with the quill, I need you to really see it in front of you before you do anything so take all the time you want, then when you feel ready, when you feel the magic building in the base of your belly I want you to cast the spell."

As I open my eyes they fix on the string, I do as Cedric says, really trying to see the quill and not the string. After about thirty seconds I can feel it, just like Cedric said, an almost fizzy sensation in the pit of my stomach, I raise my wand. "Scribblifors."

Before my eyes the string stiffens then swells, the barbs sprouting out of the string, pure white. I gasp at the perfection of it before picking it up. "And you thought I was talking bull." Cedric comments nudging me with his elbow, I carry on studying the quill for another minute before Cedric speaks again. "How about that hedgehog?"

I place the quill down and take a step back form the desk, this time Cedric says nothing, and he just waits for me to be ready. I fix my mind on what I want, see it inside before opening my eyes, this time I only need a couple of seconds before I cast the spell.

The small creature on the desk in front of me is a hedgehog, an honest to god proper hedgehog with proper quills and it even curls up when I go to touch it, after a moment of awe, which I must say couldn't have been very attractive as I had my mouth open, I let out a sound I have only heard other girls make.

I squeal, high-pitched, complete with jumping up and down. As I jump I turn and see Cedric grinning at me. "Told you, you could do it." He says. I leap into his arms; he catches me, his hands around my back as I thank him a thousand and one times.


	9. Chapter 9

Cedric and I spend every spare moment of the next week in the disused classroom, Cedric practices whilst I go through books and generally cheer him on, We talk as much as possible deciding that he will probably need to be able to do these spells with a lot of distraction but Cedric is still worried.

Cedric has been silent most of this evening, I have had to carry both sides of the conversation. I am worried about him, this is not like him at all, his casting is off, the animals he is creating are worse than my half hedgehog half pincushion, his posture is hunched and his movements slow. Cedric doesn't slouch when standing, he stands tall and confident, the boy standing before me is almost a mockery of the Cedric I have come to know.

"I don't know if I can do this." Cedric admits, head hanging, wand dangling from one hand whilst his other runs through his hair, gripping it occasionally like he is trying to pull it out.

I look up from the book I was reading, seeing his face almost makes me cry, he looks so helpless and lost. I toss the book to the side and go to stand directly in front of him. Reaching out I gently touch his chin and lift it up so he meets my eyes. "You can do this." I say firmly, emphasising the word 'can'. "The cup chose you, the whole of Hogwarts is behind you and we all believe in you Cedric."

Cedric smiles sadly before taking my hand resting on his chin, he holds it gently between our bodies. "Sorry..."

I shake my head at him and have to stoop again to catch his eye, which once again has strayed to the floor. "Cedric, look at me." I straighten as he does, looking deep into his shining grey eyes. "You do not need to apologize, you are scared and that's fine but don't for a second even entertain the notion that you cannot do this."

He smiles more this time and squeezes my fingers gently before slowly bringing my hand up towards his face, gently he places a kiss on my knuckles. "Thank you Hermione." He says with a sad smile.

I feel my face go scarlet and turn so my hair covers my face, Cedric releases my hand so it slides off his, making contact right until my longest finger falls off his. When I turn back Cedric is once again in the middle of the room tuning all the tables and chairs into various objects and animals, back straight.

-xXx-

Turing to the call of my name at breakfast the next morning I come face to face with Cedric's closest friends, as it is a weekend and the Gryffindor table is almost empty they all come to sit by me. "Got your note Granger." Maxine O'Flaherty says holding up said note as she falls into the seat next to me.

"Hi." I offer after setting down my spoon and waving awkwardly to the Hufflepuff's.

Maxine seems to be the ringleader at the moment so introduces everyone. "Call me Max." She comments eyeing the parchment on the table in front of us which I had addressed to Maxine. "This is Luke." She says gesturing to the boy with wild light brown hair in front of me. "Tony and Will." Again she gestures to the other two boys present, Tony with shockingly black hair considering his colouring and Will who has the bluest eyes I think I have ever seen.

As we finish introductions Cedric appears behind me, he sits to my left as Max is on my right. "What's this all about Granger?" Cedric asks eyeing his friends wearily and reaching for a slice of toast.

I turn to Cedric. "I know you are worried about being prepared and I think I have a way for you to practice."

Cedric says nothing but motions for me to go on, a curious look on his face.

"Okay, so you're worried about the crowd distracting you, we need a crowd for you to practice." I say decisively.

Cedric finished chewing a bite of toast. "I agree, but this isn't exactly a crowd." Cedric comments.

I smile at him. "This is just the start, I want to get as many of your house mates as possible, I will ask the Gryffindor's to come and someone will need to ask the Ravenclaws because I don't really know anyone in the house." I start.

"I can ask Cho." Cedric agrees nodding.

Cho Chang... pretty, intelligent and Harry has a thing for her... apparently so does Cedric. I squash my disappointment down and carry on. "We can use the Quidditch pitch since it isn't being used this year, get loads of people seated, use megaphones or something to up the noise and I was thinking of getting as many desks and things down to the pitch that you can practice on."

Luke is the one who speaks up this time. "Sounds good, we can do some spells to make it seem like there are more people and there's a classroom on fourth floor used for storage, its got loads of desks and things, we can shrink them to move them easily."

I turn back to Cedric. "There is also one other thing I would like to try to make it more real."

Cedric nods at me to carry on whilst taking another bite of toast.

"I was thinking of asking Harry to hover on his broom above the pitch and shoot some low level spells at you, maybe squirt water at you or something?" I ask.

Tony answers whilst Cedric seems to be digesting the plan, and his breakfast. "It's perfect." He announces. "It's exactly what we do for Quidditch, remember Malc's first game?" He asks the Hufflepuff's who nod at him. "Stage fright or whatever you want to call it, he just needed practice, we did something similar for him."

Cedric grins at me. "Genius as usual Miss Granger." He says with a wink.

-xXx-

The next morning I am down at the Quidditch pitch surrounded by half of Cedric's house enlarging previously shrunken furniture and placing it randomly around the pitch.

"I think that's the lot." Tony says dumping out a bag of tiny tables. "Shall we?" He asks pointing his wand at them.

I nod and between the two of us we enlarge them all back to size whilst Luke and Will levitate them around to different parts of the pitch.

"Thank you, by the way." Tony comments studying the ground.

I furrow my brows. "For what?" I ask

Tony looks at me and smiles. "Yesterday, before you told us about this plan Cedric was... I don't want to say depressed but it was almost like it, and you came up with all this." He says gesturing around us. "And it helped him, Cedric right now needs to be doing stuff all the time to both keep his mind off the tournament and to prepare for it, this seems to have done both."

"I'm just trying to help." I say blushing.

"Well you are." Tony says. "And in case he doesn't say it, know that the rest of this house... hell from the turn out today the rest of the school, are really grateful to you."

Harry suddenly lands next to me so I don't need to reply to Tony, not that I would know what to say, hopping off his broom Harry says. "Looks good from up there."

"Thanks again Harry, for doing this." I say pulling him in for a hug.

"Gotta make sure Hogwart's wins." He says matter of factly. "Plus is seems to mean a lot to my best friend too." Harry winks, I roll my eyes at him, he knows I like Cedric even though I haven't told him, I like to hope that it is just because he is my best friend but I know better from the looks the Hufflepuff's have been giving me and I am not quite sure what to think about that so I try not to.

"EVERYONE OFF THE PITCH!" Luke yells down to us from the stands, signalling it is time.

I grin at Harry who once again mounts his broom, before I run off to the stands, which are pretty full. All of Hufflepuff are of course present as are almost all of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, there is no sign of any Slytherin students amongst the rest of us.

The crowd is quiet as Cedric makes his way onto the pitch looking a little sheepish in front of all the spectators, I don't get it, it must be just the same as when he is in a Quidditch match but for some reason he says it is different.

Cedric waves at everyone, we cheer in response as he gets himself ready, he holds his hand up to signal Harry to start.

Any misgivings I had about this not being real enough are eradicated as Cedric gets into his stride, he is able to ignore all of us as we shout and scream as loud as we can, he weaves and rolls between obstacles whilst casting, not paying any of us the least bit of attention. I have tasked some of the students to shout derogatory things too, to ensure that we are covering all the bases. We wave our arms, jump and generally try to make as big a nuisance of ourselves as possible but this does not faze him.

After only a couple of minutes the field is covered in dogs, cats, horses, sheep, cows and hundreds upon hundreds of birds. He shoots ropes out of his wand at some targets to catch them whilst hiding behind others from the water Harry is constantly casting at him, occasionally shaking his head to rid his hair of the excess water.

Cedric lasts for an hour before he holds his hands up to call a stop to the practice. A cheer, louder than possible from the crowd, erupts accompanied by claps and whistles. Cedric bows to us all, doing a full circle before shouting 'thank you' and falling to the floor comically. I watch the accelerated rise and fall of his chest as I make my way down towards him.

Luke and Max get there before me, helping him up off the floor and are in the middle of praising him unashamedly. "That was fucking ace man!" Luke says clapping him on the back which almost knocks the exhausted Cedric over.

I hold out a towel to him. "That was really good." I says with a smile.

Cedric grins back at me. "Fucking hard work is what it was." He comments taking the towel to dry his hair and face. I laugh as he takes the towel away form his hair which is sticking up in every direction. "Are you laughing at me Granger?" He asks with an evil look in his eye.

"I believe I am Diggory." I shoot back raising my eyebrows in a 'what you gonna do about it' look... What he does about it is grabs me in a huge bear hug, his robes still soaking wet, before rubbing the wet towel over my hair too.

I shoot Cedric a dark look. "Not so funny now is it Granger?" He asks waving the towel around triumphantly.

I look down at the floor for a second for effect before tilting my head up to meet his eyes. "If that is how you want to play Diggory..." I don't finish the sentence, pull out my wand and cast the spell Harry has been casting all day. The cold water hits Cedric square in the face. He wipes the water off with the towel before dropping it to the floor.

"You really, really, shouldn't have done that."

I watch with wide eyes as Cedric slowly and deliberately raises his wand before I screech 'no' and run for the nearest cover I can find.


	10. Chapter 10

I sit with the Hufflepuff's at lunch on the day of the first task, Cedric picks at his food but doesn't really eat anything substantial, worried he wont be able to keep it down.

The whole great hall is pretty quiet at the moment, the other students sitting at other tables whispering rather than speaking normally.

I eye Fleur who seems to be having a hard time eating too, her school mates leaning in talking fast and quiet in French.

Viktor looks grumpy as he usually does when surrounded by other people, he isn't having trouble eating though, I hypothesize this is because he is used to this kind of pressure playing professional Quidditch, although the crowd this will pull will be huge I don't think it will have anything on the world cup. I offer Viktor a small smile when I manage to catch his eye, wishing him luck too. Viktor picks up his goblet to take a sip but gently tips it in my direction before doing so, acknowledging our silent exchange.

Turning back to the table I watch as the others all try to offer encouragement to Cedric, telling him how well he has done in the practice sessions we have had, that he will be amazing and that they all think he is the best champion. I don't think he really hears them, he just sits, despondent, slouching, eyes glazed over.

I don't really know what to say to him, all I can think of is, everything the others are saying, so I stay quiet, also not able to eat, worry churning in my stomach. I have done some terrifying things with Harry but we never had time to think about them first, they just happened and you just go along with it, thinking on your feet, adrenaline pumping. By the look of Cedric's green face I would say the adrenaline has been going since he got up this morning, how much more can he take?

Cedric leaves with the others except Max before lunch is over. "When it's time, come and find one of us, we want you sitting with us okay?" Max says putting her knife and fork down.

I smile and nod, not trusting myself to speak lest the worry and panic I have running through my head come tumbling out.

-xXx-

Later that day Me, Harry, Ron and the Hufflepuff's escort Cedric to the champions tent, still Cedric is silent. A line forms in front of Cedric as we arrive, he stands and shakes everyone's hands and listens to their encouragement as they pass by.

I am held back with a gentle hand on my shoulder from Will. "We'll wait until last." He says to Max, Tony, Luke and me.

Harry and Ron approach together they both shake Cedric's hand and wish him luck before looking back at me with sad smiles.

Cho Chang and Cedric hug tightly, Cedric lifting her an inch or so off the ground, I can see her lips moving by his ear rapidly, no doubt telling him to be careful and that he will be amazing. Cho leaves kissing Cedric on the cheek. I look down at the floor for a while trying to wipe the image from my brain, not so much of the kiss itself but the small quirk of the lips Cedric did as a response.

I stand for what seems an eternity waiting for the other students to finish with Cedric, wringing my hands and pacing back and forth next to Luke. I hang back as Will and Tony flank Cedric, lifting him up and saying things to him I cannot hear. When they leave I can see the ghost of a smile on Cedric's face. I feel guilty that this makes me happy, it isn't just Cho who can make him smile at a time like this.

Luke grabs Cedric in a bear hug and pronounces loudly that Cedric is amazing and he can do this brilliantly. Cedric's lip once again lifts in a small sideways smirk at Luke before Luke ambles off with a wave.

Finally it is just me and Max. Max simply goes over to Cedric offers him a fist bump, smirk and nod before taking a few steps back. "I'll wait for you round the corner." Max says to me pointing to where she will be, leaving me and Cedric alone.

Cedric lets out a huge sigh. "Here I go, I guess." He says raising his eyebrows, looking totally bewildered, panic evident in his shimmering grey eyes.

I am not sure what to do so I do exactly what I would do if this were Ron or Harry. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down so his head is on my shoulder. I feel his arms snake around my waist, he squeezes me gently, breathing erratic. I take in the smell of him for a moment, clean soap with a hint of musky sweat. "You're already my champion." I say before releasing him. I manage a small smile before my eyes threaten to well up, I quickly go up onto my tip toes and plant a butterfly kiss on his cheek then scuttle off to meet Max without looking back.

I climb the steps into the stands, trying to discreetly wipe away the tears which are slowly falling down my chin. Max steers me to a seat, Harry on one side of me, Luke on the other, the rest of the Hufflepuff's surround me, some in front and some behind.

I root around in the bag at my feet to find my omnioculars I got at the world cup. "First up to face their dragon is Mr Cedric Diggory of Hogwart's!" Bagman announces to us all in the crowd.

I can see the dragon clearly without the omnioculars, a large Swedish Short-Snout sitting at the moment at the north end of the arena, chained to the ground, I assume so it cannot take flight and escape. I bring the omnioculars to my eyes and scan for Cedric, he looks so small next to the rocks.

Zooming in on his face I can see him taking a huge breath before muttering something to himself which looked a lot like 'I can do this'. Cedric seems to be ignoring the crowd as well as he did in practice, he peeks around a large bounder to find the dragon but has to pull back quickly as it spots him at the same moment, shooting orange fire.

I can see the sweat running down Cedric's face form either the heat or nerves, maybe both, but cannot look away. It is like seeing a car crash, you know you shouldn't look but you cannot seem to pull your stupid eyes away from it.

I cannot hear the crowd properly, I am too focused, it is all a white noise around me, all I can concentrate on is Cedric ducking and diving away from the flames and claws of the dragon. My heart is threatening to either stop or beat out of my chest depending on the second.

I let out a scream as the dragon gets close to snapping up Cedric with it's huge teeth, instead it swallows whole the golden retriever that Cedric has just created from a nearby rock. In my panic I drop the omnioculars, maybe it is better if I don't see it from so close up anyway.

Cedric creates a while menagerie of animals in front of the dragon, his plan evident when he then tries to sneak around the back of the dragon. I watch eyes wide open, not blinking. "CEDRIC!" I scream as though he can hear me, the dragon has whipped it's long neck around and is looking at him, it flicks it tail, catching Cedric in the stomach and throwing him almost twenty feet across the arena.

It is almost like my brain still thinks I have the omnioculars because Cedric seems to be thrown in slow motion, I see him twist in mid air holding his arms out to try and stop his fall. Somehow he manages to hold onto his wand, it looks like he tries as spell but I cannot see what it is.

Cedric hits and then slides down a rock, not moving. I scream and try to get out, to get to him, he needs help, what if he is dead? I scream like a banshee as Luke who is standing next to me grabs me and pulls me to him rocking me gently as I break down into uncontrollable sobs. "He isn't dead." Luke whispers into my ear. "He's moving, he managed to get out a cushioning charm before he hit."

I turn in Luke's arms finding Cedric with my eyes I can see he is breathing and moving, he is trying to stand now, nothing seems broken although he is limping slightly on his left foot. I let out a breath before directing my face towards the heavens thanking any God that want to take credit for his survival. Luke releases me from him embrace and takes my hand, he is squeezing mine as tight as I am his.

The chant starts from behind me, I can hear Will's loud voice over the others.

"Dig-gor-ry, Dig-gor-ry" The chant starts to spread through the crowd, soon almost everyone is chanting punching the air with each syllable. Luke using the hand holding mine to punch the air so I do it along with him, shouting as loud as I can.

I watch as Cedric looks up, towards the crowd, seeing the support we all have for him, that we all believe in him. He runs his right hand through his hair and nods to himself before he runs, full pelt around the arena turning any little thing into living breathing creatures. He shoots chains and ropes at the dragon from all angles until she is so covered that she finally trips, both legs bound together by an uncountable number of bindings. Cedric takes the chance and uses all the speed his has from his long legs, he circumnavigates the dragons head and watches the tail carefully as he does, darting in he snatches up the golden egg lying no more than three feet from the dragon on the ground.

The cheer is deafening as Cedric once again sprints for cover, going straight back into the tent he had emerged from earlier. I join in, jumping up and down, hugging everyone around me, both side, in front and behind. I look down at my watch, it is impossible, that was the longest and hardest fifteen minutes I have ever encountered, I don't know how I will cope with the other tasks without having a nervous breakdown.

I slump into my seat, exhausted form the emotional roller-coaster I have been going through since this morning, hell since Cedric was chosen!

Fleur is up next and I watch as she practically dances around the arena, casting what seems to be a long elaborate spell on the dragon. The dragon's neck snowly slumps down and it lowers itself gently to the ground asleep. I watch amazed as Fleur goes to pluck the egg from the nest and scream along with half of the crowd when the dragon appears to have snorted in its sleep setting her skirt on fire. Fleur puts out the fire easily and makes her way quickly back to the tent. Cheers once again erupt.

Finally it is time for Viktor, who strides out onto the arena with confidence, he simply points his wand directly at the dragon and shouts a spell which seems to have blinded the dragon who tries to use its back legs to scratch and rub at it's now red oozing eyes. Again the plan isn't flawless, as Viktor grabs the egg the dragon falls to the side, Viktor has to dive out the way to avoid being crushed, unfortunately he is docked points as the dragon has crushed her real eggs in the fall.

As soon as it is over I jump up from my seat at the same time as the Hufflepuff's and we go in search of Cedric.


	11. Chapter 11

The Yule ball is just around the corner, only a week away and still no body has asked me to go, sometimes when I lie in my bed at night I think 'I am an independent woman, I don't need to go with anyone I can go alone and have just as much fun', but then I think of Cedric and how much I want to go with him. Should I ask him to go? I know it isn't necessarily proper but we don't live in the dark ages anymore, maybe it would be okay?

I have seen Cedric lots of times since the first task, always surrounded by his friends who I have become quite fond of, and I think they like me too. Max is particularly funny and Luke having known Cedric most of his life keeps offering up embarrassing stories about Cedric who runs his hands through his hair and blushed a delicious soft pink. We have all talked and talked about the task and he even let me listen to the egg, excruciating as it was, to try and help him figure it out, we have no clue at the moment.

"You okay?" Viktor asks from across the table, we are in the library again but I just can't concentrate on my studies, this is exactly what my mother warned me about.

I throw down my quill. "I don't know." I say honestly.

Viktor nods at me, setting his book down too. "Vhat is the matter?" I look at Viktor wondering if I should tell him how stupid and girly I am being, but it's Viktor, I feel I can tell him anything.

"He still hasn't asked me to the ball, I thought he liked me but I think it might have been wishful thinking." I admit quietly.

Viktor shakes his head. "I haff told you many times that he does like you, maybe he is just shy to ask?" Viktor's English has got a lot better since he has been here, he hardly ever misses words out of sentenced anymore, which he says is down to our conversations.

I sigh. "I don't think so, Cedric is a bit shy but he would have grown a pair to ask me by now if he was going to." Viktor says nothing to this. "It's stupid, I know, I brought a dress and everything and I told myself that if nobody asks me then it's fine for me to go alone, I can hang around with Harry and Ron and it wont be a big deal, but now it's getting close I'm not so sure." In my head I can see myself all decked out, hair lovely, make up done, high heels and yet I stand alone in the great hall with everyone laughing at me, asking me why I bothered coming.

Viktor reaches out and puts his hand on top of mine on the table. "You are a beautiful, intelligent voman and if he doesn't see that then that is his loss." He says giving me a significant look.

I smile gently. "Thanks Viktor." What he has said has cheered me up a little.

Viktor removes his hand and I see him smiling. "Tell you vot." He says with a nod to himself. "How about you come to the ball vith me? As friends ve can have lots of fun, and ve can make him jealous." The last is said with a wiggle of his thick dark eyebrows.

I giggle at the thought. "I don't think he likes me in that way Viktor, really I don't." Still it would be nice to think he would be jealous.

"Think of it this way, I vould love you to come to the ball with me, you are my best friend, even including people from school and back home. You vould also be helping me qvite a lot." Viktor says.

A throw him a quizzical look.

"Do not be silly Hermione, you know the girls here are going insane about me, they haff been following me more recently trying to get me to ask one of them, I even haff had a few who haff screeched at me to go vith them." Viktor looks troubled by this. "If I go vith you I know I do not haff to pretend to be someone I am not and I do not haff the spend the whole night vorrying about how it vill end."

Suddenly my eyes widen in understanding, if he took anyone else they would expect at least a little kiss at the end of the night. "Oh God Viktor, I'm sorry I didn't even think about that." I pause a second. "Why didn't you ask me before now?" I ask, what if someone had asked me? Then where would he be? Forced to go with someone, he can't go alone as he has to open the ball with a dance.

"I vanted to give him a chance first." He simply replies. I smile at him.

"I would be honoured to go to the ball with you Viktor, and not as a pity date or a second choice okay?" I say really meaning it, why didn't I think of this before, Viktor and I have such a great time when we are together, talking and laughing, even checking out boys sometimes.

Viktor simply smiles back at me shoving his books back into his bag. "It is time for food?" He asks changing the subject, blushing slightly.

I laugh, Viktor and his food are rather inseparable. "Yeah, lets go to dinner."

-xXx-

Once in the great hall I pull on Viktor's arm. "Come sit with us?" I ask putting on my best puppy dog eyes. Viktor simply nods and follows, seating himself next to me, acting like it is no big deal he isn't sitting with the rest of his school mates and the Slytherin's.

Harry and Ron enter the hall a couple of minutes later, I shoot Ron a warning look as he gapes at us.

"Hi Harry, Ron." I say as they sit. "Viktor, this is Harry and Ron." I gesture in their direction.

Viktor wipes his mouth with a napkin before replying. "Pleased to meet you."

Ron gapes again so I kick him under the table and give him a warning look. Harry speaks up first. "So Viktor, are you enjoying Hogwart's?"

Viktor nods at him. "Yes, it is not as cold as Durmstrang, larger too, the grounds are quite nice and the library is excellent."

Ron scoffs. "No wonder you and Hermione get along so well."

We all laugh, and with that the spell is broken, Ron no longer looks at him like he is some sort of God, he is just another student like us, well a geeky one like me I suppose.

As we start on pudding I look over at Harry who is in turn watching the Ravenclaw table. "Have you asked her yet?" I ask gently eyeing Cho Chang chatting away with her friends.

Harry snaps back to us. "She's always surrounded." Harry exclaims exasperated. "Even when she goes to the toilet! It's like... like... why do you travel around in packs?" He asks me.

I smile at him. "It is as much as mystery to me as it is to you." I really don't get other girls and their need to never be alone, to me it seems like they aren't happy with themselves so have to surround themselves all the time lest they realise they cannot stand their own company.

"Has he asked you yet?" Ron asks gesturing with his fork to the Hufflepuff's. I cant help myself and look over too, Cedric is sitting close to Max gesturing wildly with his hands as he speaks, stopping every now and again to run his hands through his hair.

I shake my head but smile. "I'm going with Viktor."

The gaping is back, this time in my direction. "Bloody hell Harry, we need to do something fast, at this rate we will be the only people left without partners."

"Okay then, tonight, tonight we get dates." Harry announces before standing up, Ron trails after him questioning exactly how they will do it.

Viktor laughs quietly and I join in. "Ve are being vatched." He announces pointing discretely to Cedric who has turned a full one hundred and eighty decrees to look at us.

I shrug my shoulders. "He has his chance." Viktor laughs loudly and shoulder bumps me, which earns him a sour look from Cedric.

-xXx-

Later I sit in the common room, staring at the fire. "Hey." Ginny says flopping down into the seat next to me.

"Hi Gin." I smile back at her.

"Are you really going with Viktor Krum?" She asks in awe.

I narrow my eyes at her playfully. "Yes Ginny."

"I'm coming too." Ginny grins at me.

I raise my eyebrows, the only way Ginny could go is if someone from fourth year or above asked her. "Who you going with?" I ask trying to seem disinterested.

Ginny looks me right in the eye. "Neville."

I smile, I like Neville, he is sweet and brave but I know most girls would be embarrassed to go with him because of this nervous disposition which usually leads to him making a fool of himself. "That's brilliant Ginny."

Ginny grins back at me. "I knew you wouldn't laugh at me! My dorm mates have but I think they're just jealous because they cant go."

I nod, agreeing. "This is going to be brilliant." I say. "All of us can sit together and have a dance."

Ginny hasn't stopped grinning. "So I was wondering if you want to join in the preparations?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Preparations?" It sounds ominous.

She nods. "The afternoon of the ball all of us girls who are going are gonna help each other get ready, do each others hair and make up and stuff so we can all look our best, Lavender asked me so now I'm asking you."

I give Ginny a bewildered look. "It's going to hurt isn't it?"

"Beauty is pain." Ginny simply answers with a grin. "So you in?"

I sigh then nod gently. "It's only one day, how bad could it be really?"

This is one time when my comment doesn't come and bite me on the arse, magic it seems has loads of painless and time saving beauty methods.

-xXx-

"I can't believe you have never done this before." Ginny comments as she spells all the hairs off my legs, she has already done my underarms.

"I shave them." I answer simply.

Ginny gives me a look. "You are the cleverest witch in this whole school but you never thought to look up stuff like this?"

I blush a little. "I never really thought about it, it didn't seem important."

Ginny scoffs at me as she holds a hand out to sit me up. "You need to sit really, really still for this one okay? I don't want to take half your eyebrows off."

I freeze, not even breathing as Ginny points her wand directly at my eyebrows with one eye closed, squinting. If I wasn't so afraid that I would end up completely hairless if I moved I would laugh at her expression.

Ginny is already nearly ready, all her preparations done when I was in the shower coating my hair with some sort of taming potion for my wild locks, which are now in rollers, I guess not everything requires magic.

"Go get your dress on." Ginny orders as she snatches hers up off the bed.

The satin material glides over my tingling skin, I turn to the mirror once I have it on and smile, even with my hair in rollers and no make up on I have to admit I look nice, older too.

Another hour is required by Ginny to make us both look 'perfect' as she puts it. My hair falls in soft ringlets down my back, my make up understated, highlighting my best features, making my eyes look like they are jumping out.

"Ginny, You are a miracle worker!" I say smiling at her in the mirror.

Ginny just looks smug then glances at her watch. "I better go, told Neville I would meet him in the common room at about now."

I nod and watch her go. Viktor said he would meet me at the foot of the staircase by the great hall. I take one final look at myself, doing a spin in the empty room before walking slowly in my heels to the stairs.


	12. Chapter 12

Walking down the stairs towards the Great Hall in heels isn't something I would recommend, I have to hold up the bottom of my dress robes with one hand and grip the banister with the other, it makes for a very slow decent.

The entranceway outside the Great Hall is pretty empty at the moment, from the sounds coming from the hall I would say everyone is already in there.

Viktor is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs looking tremendously handsome in his blood red robes lined with fur. As I get to the bottom step he holds his hand out to me, I take it.

"You look beautiful." He states simply.

I feel myself blush. "So do you." I send him an impish smile, he laughs.

"I do try." He says arching his brows before offering me his arm. "Shall ve?"

Placing my hand on his arm I agree. "We shall."

With a smile to each other we proceed to towards the great hall where the other champions are waiting for us.

I try not to look at Cedric, really I do, but when there are just six of us it is inevitable that I cannot avoid him.

His dress robes are a crisp new black, his shirt the whitest of whites, my eyes trail from his impossibly shiny shoes, up his legs to his bow tie, I pause before looking up further, taking a steadying breath. His hair, which is always in disarray, still hasn't been totally tamed, but it looks more purposely put together in it's chaos. I meet his eyes which shine in the candle light, I smile at him, he doesn't return it, just turns, takes Cho by the arm and leads the way into the hall.

Fleur goes ahead of me and Viktor, giving me precious seconds to sniff and scrunch my eyes shut so tears cannot fall. Why is he being like this? For the last week Cedric hasn't spoken to me. I have even caught him actively avoiding me, leaving the library when he sees me enter, walking in the opposite direction once he spots me.

Viktor puts his arm around my shoulder and squeezes me to his side for a second. "Forget about that _Lainar_" Viktor says.

I give him an appraising look.

"It means shit head." Viktor simply states dropping his arm from my shoulder to offer it to me, I smile at him and we walk into the hall slowly.

I take in the scene before me, it is so different to how I have seen the great hall before, the house tables are gone, only the head table is still present, other tables are now scattered around, round ones seating maybe twelve people each, it reminds me of a wedding.

Viktor leads me over to the table Harry and Ron are currently sitting at, Harry is predictably mooning over Cho sitting with Cedric on a table across the room, if I didn't have so much pride I suppose I would do the same, so as not to temp myself I make sure I have my back towards Cedric. He is not going to ruin my night, I am going to have a great night with Viktor and my friends.

"You look great Hermione." Neville comments not quite looking me in the eye.

I smile at him. "You look great too Neville." And he really does, happy and smiling sitting next to Ginny who as usual looks stunning.

The table fills, some of Viktor's school mates come to sit with us as does Seamus and Dean, both dateless but not caring.

The food is even more amazing than usual which is unimaginable but true, once I have finished I sit back in my chair, wondering if I should really have ate that much considering I plan to dance.

Talk at the table has gone from the difference in our schools, to the general difference in the countries to Ginny getting the Durmstrang students to teach her some new and exciting swear words. Usually I would be appalled by this type of behaviour but I cannot seem to care today, and at least she is learning something.

The plates clear themselves and it's time. The champions and their partners open the dancing, Viktor holds his hand out, I take it and he leads me onto the dance floor. I keep my eyes firmly on Viktor's so I don't have to see how happy Cedric is with Cho.

The music starts and we begin to move, it is at this moment in time I am glad of my mother sending me to dance lessons as a child, first ballet and then at the insistence of my ballet teacher to jazz, tap and ballroom, this dance doesn't really fit in with the others but because of my lessons I can keep up and let Viktor lead me around the room.

Soon other couples are joining in the dancing, I grin up at Viktor. "You are very good at this." He states.

I giggle as Viktor spins me.

-xXx-

As the night wares on I find myself subconsciously looking around the room for Cedric, big mistake. He is sitting with his friends and Cho, drinking punch and laughing, bumping Cho on the shoulder with his.

I sit to rest my feet whilst Viktor goes to fetch us some drinks, the line is long so I guess he will be a while. "Hey Granger." I look up to see Luke standing in front of me. "Having a good time?" He asks before taking a seat.

I smile at him and nod. "Yeah, nothing better than hanging out with friends is there?" I ask trying to keep the resentfulness out of my voice.

"Well." He says either not noticing my pointed comment at Cedric or just plain ignoring it. "Max broke her heel and I still feel like dancing and since you were over here all alone, I thought you might like to join me so I don't look like a complete spaz by myself?" He offers me a smirk.

"Well, when you put it that way it would be cruel not to accept wouldn't it?" I ask smirking back.

"Like kicking a puppy!" He comments holding out his hand, I take it and he leads me back to the dance floor where Will and Tony are jumping up and down to the music with their dates.

We dance, laughing at each other as we do, Luke tries to pull off the funky chicken but ends up flat on his face, at which point Max, minus her shoes, comes to help him up. "Sorry about the 'tard" She says to me with a wink. I laugh and then excuse myself to go find Viktor, it isn't really fair to disappear on him.

I find Viktor sitting at a table with a few of his classmates. "Sorry." I say sitting next to him.

Viktor waves me off. "You vant to dance vith your friends then you do that, you do not need my permission."

I smile at him.

-xXx-

Viktor and I say goodbye at the main doors, he hugs me tightly then kisses the top of my head. "I had a great time." He says with a smile.

I grin back at him. "Me too." I say.

Viktor smiles at me. "I vill see you tomorrow." With that he turns and walks out into the night, I watch him go for a second, hugging myself to keep out the cold before turning to go towards the stairs.

Cedric is standing leaning again the staircase, watching me with his arms folded and eyes narrowed.

The smile falls from my face as my own eyes narrow. Who the hell does he think he is? Here I was having arguably the best night of my life and here he is, ruining it.

Head held high I stride past him towards the girls bathroom only to be followed.

"Have fun with Krum did you?" Cedric spits at me.

I turn to stare at him. "I don't see how that is any of your business." I shoot back.

Cedric scoffs. "Looked pretty cosy to me."

"Not as much as you and Cho."

Cedric raises his voice. "Cho is just my friend, you didn't see me getting all cuddly and kissy with her did you?"

"You were plenty cuddly thank you." I say back, not raising my voice.

"Don't be so fucking ridiculous Hermione, Cho doesn't like me like that, she likes Harry." His voice is again on the edge of shouting.

I huff. "If that's true then why the hell didn't she go with Harry tonight?" I ask smugly.

"Because he didn't ask her." Cedric replies sarcastically.

"Well that's your own fucking fault then, you should have asked someone who actually wanted to go with you, don't blame me just because she doesn't like you." I say, my voice on the edge of yelling.

"It isn't that fucking simple!" Cedric shouts back at me.

I walk forward towards Cedric, poking him in the chest with my finger. "Yes it is that fucking simple Cedric, you ask who you want to go with and you don't get to get angry with other people because you aren't with who you wanted to be."

Cedric runs his hand through his hair manically. "You were going with Viktor!"

I take a step back, this is not where I thought this was going. I don't shout as I answer. "I...I don't see what me going with Viktor has to do with anything."

"Really?" Cedric asks in disbelief. "You go to the ball with Viktor Krum, famous, athletic, tall, dark and handsome Viktor Krum and you don't see why I have a fucking problem with it?" Cedric is shouting again.

"No I really don't!" I shout back. "Who I am or am not friends with is nothing to do with you."

Cedric snorts throwing up his hands. "Friends!"

"Yes friends!" I shout back.

"Well you might want to be careful who you are friends with Hermione, you might get hurt!" Cedric points at me as he speaks. "Krum isn't known for his treatment of the ladies, drops them as soon as he gets what he wants!"

I see red and start screaming at Cedric. "Do not talk about him like that!"

"I'm just telling you the truth Hermione, not my fault it stings." Cedric replies.

"You don't even know him you twat! So don't even..." I stop speaking and let out a frustrated grunt. "Why are you being so spiteful?"

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you."

I laugh at this. "No you fucking well aren't, you are just being a dick!"

"Fine!" Cedric shouts. "If you want to end up hurt and in trouble then be my fucking guest!"

I don't think before I speak back. "He isn't going to get me in trouble he's gay!"

Cedric's mouth drops open as he gasps. "What?" he asks quietly.

I groan at my stupidity. "Nothing, forget I said anything." I say pushing past him.

"Hermione wait!" Cedric calls after me.

I stop but don't turn towards him, face flaming from the slip of my tongue, I really hope Cedric doesn't tell anyone. Cedric comes to stand in front of me, I don't meet his eye.

"I'm sorry, I did this all wrong." Cedric admits, I simply nod not trusting myself to think, now the adrenaline is leaving my head all I want to do is curl up in my bed and cry. "I wanted to come to the ball with you." Cedric says gently.

Now I do look up into his eyes. "But you went with Cho..."

Cedric smiles sadly down at me. "Because you were going with Krum."

"I only went with Viktor because you didn't ask me. He didn't ask until last week." I say looking to the floor.

"Everywhere you went you were with people, my friends, your friends, Krum..." Cedric says bringing his hand up to my chin, lifting it so I meet his eyes. "... I couldn't get you alone to ask..."

I let out an amused sigh. "We've been really stupid haven't we?"

Cedric nods. "Yeah we have." He says releasing my chin to let his hand fall limply at his side.

I stare at the floor, watching his feet for a few minutes breathing deeply, wondering what will happen now. In the silence I hear Cedric take a few deep breathes as if he is going to speak but he doesn't.

"I never got to dance with you." Cedric whispers. I look up to him with a small smile tugging at the side of my lips. Taking a chance I step forwards and wrap my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder, Cedric gets the hint and wraps his arms around my middle, we sway gently in the cold and deserted corridor.

After a few minutes I remove my head from his shoulder and take a step back, signalling the end of the non existent song.

Cedric takes my hands, running his thumbs over my knuckles still not speaking. Finally Cedric looks up at me, I meet his eyes shyly. "I'm going to kiss you now." He says simply.

I don't speak just nod gently, Cedric licks his lips, I bite mine. I watch as he slowly lowers his face towards mine, his breath tinged with the smell of pumpkin juice. I close my eyes as his nose gently brushes mine, tilting my face slightly to the right, his lips brush mine gently and I feel his hand on the side of my face, fingers going into my hair.

He pulls back slightly, my eyes half open to see he is pursing his lips together, I lean into him again wrapping my arms around his neck as his snake around my waist.


	13. Chapter 13

Kissing Cedric wasn't like kissing other boys, well... I only have one to compare him to but it wasn't like with John at all. I met John just this past summer, in Spain with my parents. We were staying in the same complex as John and his parents and we hit it off somehow... I am not sure how, with nothing in common, but we did and we spent just over a week holding hands and finding out of the way places to kiss and cuddle.

John kissed like he wouldn't ever kiss again, fast and hard and frantic with his tongue roaming my mouth, fighting for dominance, leaving me gasping for air once it was over. Cedric's kisses are different, they can be fast sometimes but never hard, they're usually slow and sweet and kind of sensual, they feel really private, like when he is kissing me he is walking in my soul or something, which I know is nonsense but it is how it feels.

We spend all the time we can together, being in different houses poses problems but we get around them as best as we can. I sit with Cedric at meals, or he with me, last week we even both went and sat with Cho who beamed at me and said she was really happy that we finally got it together.

Ron and Harry of course take great amusement from my relationship with Cedric, commenting often when I find myself gazing at him or thinking about him. If I didn't know any better I would think they we're reading my mind, I don't help myself really, blushing furiously whenever they mention him. If I wasn't so happy I might find offence in what they are doing. Ginny does, telling them to leave me alone which earns her ribbing of her own.

Pansy Parkinson and her gaggle of hags have also been trying to get to me and not in a nice way like Ron and Harry. Whenever I am near all I can hear is them commenting on how I am a glory seeking whore. Friends with Harry who is world famous and then cozying up to not one but two triwizard champions. Malfoy resorts to insulting both Cedric and me, usually separately but sometimes when we are together, calling Cedric a blood traitor for getting with a mudblood and then changing his tactic to say that there must be a reason he is with me, that I must really be a dirty whore in the bedroom to keep him interested.

I was upset at first with the nasty comments, not helped by the horrid blonde snake Rita Skeeter, but Cedric, his friends and mine all took to keeping me happy and complimenting me often, they are jealous, looking at Cedric I know that is right, who wouldn't be jealous when I get to be with Cedric and they don't?

-xXx-

"Come on Hermione!" Ginny whines up the stairs to the dormitory. "You need to eat something before you go out!" I don't move from in front of the mirror but hear Ginny stomp up the stairs. "You look amazing, now get your gorgeous backside down those stairs to breakfast!" Ginny commands complete with Mrs Weasley stare, hands on hips.

I turn to look at her, my stomach in knots. "I... I'm nervous Ginny. Why the hell am I nervous?" I ask wringing my hands.

Ginny smiles at me. "It's your first date with Cedric." She answers simply.

I sigh. "We've been going out for three weeks I can't be nervous!"

Ginny hugs me gently. "Take a deep breath and get down to breakfast." I straighten my jumper, pick up my coat and do as she says.

-xXx-

I find Cedric sitting with both his friends and mine, the Hufflepuff's having invaded the Gryffindor table. As I approach Cedric physically pushes Will along the bench to make a space next to him for me to sit. I smile at him, the butterflies still going mental in my stomach.

"Morning Petal." Cedric says kissing me on the cheek as I sit, I feel myself blush and break out in what is probably a stupid grin. He has been using this nickname for me for the last two weeks, the first time he said it I laughed and informed him I wasn't a flower, in response he kissed me gently and said I was as beautiful as a flower, the memory still makes me smile.

"Morning." I say squeezing his hand under the table. "Morning everyone." I look around at the others who nod or answer me in kind.

"Where you taking her then, Ced?" Luke asks with a smirk.

"I don't know yet, why?" Cedric asks as I butter some toast.

"You don't know where you're taking her?" Luke asks aghast. "Bad sign there mate, should have planned this weeks ago."

Max punches him on the shoulder. "Shut up Luke, not everything has to be planned you know."

Luke rubs his shoulder, faking hurt. "Domestic violence!" he accuses, pointing at Max before looking me in the eye. "Tell her Hermione!"

I laugh. "Why do I have to tell her?"

Max supplies the answer. "You're the only one not afraid of me." She says with a wink.

"Why do you want to know where we are going anyway Luke? Looking to rip off my hopeless romanticism?" Cedric asks with a raise of his eyebrow.

Max is the one who answers. "So we can avoid wherever you two are, it's kind of nauseating watching you two together."

Cedric laughs. "Like you two are any better, get much studying done last night?" From the look Cedric is giving them and the way they both blush I don't think I want to know what they were doing last night or how Cedric knows.

-xXx-

The weather is pretty bad outside, frosty and cold making clouds of steam when we breathe. Cedric holds my hand as we make out way towards the gates and down the hill into Hogsmeade. "Is there anywhere you want to go?" Cedric asks, nose slightly red in the cold.

"I need some chocolate." I say.

Cedric swings my arm. "Then the lady shall have chocolate, what's your favourite?" He asks.

We have been doing this for days, questioning each other on everything we can think of, I have learned quite a bit about Cedric that I have stored away for later use. His favourite food is pizza, which he discovered when he went to visit Will last summer, favourite colour is yellow, favourite time of year is autumn and his most prized possession, rather predictably is his broom.

"Milk chocolate, I don't really like dark or white, truffles for special occasions are the best." I answer with a smile which Cedric returns.

"Me too." He admits.

We peruse Honeydukes slowly, I take in the smell of the place like it's a fine wine, the smell of all the sweets making me smile, this is one of the things that both of my worlds have in common: Sweet shops like this can be found in the muggle world, immobile chocolate mice instead of animated chocolate frogs, standard liquorice instead of being shaped like wands or brooms, but the smell is always the same and the same taste.

I am still walking around taking it all in slowly when Cedric comes over to me with a bag. "For my lady." He grins presenting me with the bag, I open it and peer inside, a huge box of truffles fills the bag.

"Cedric!" I scold with no real heat. "You big silly, this box is huge!" I stand on my tip toes and throw my arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

Cedric grins at me, obviously pleased that I like the gift. "Do you want to go to the three broomsticks?" He asks holding his hand out to me.

I take his hand and nod, following him out of the shop across to the pub where we sit at a secluded table by the fire, I lean into him as he puts his arm around my shoulder. "This is nice." I say with a smile.

Cedric hugs me closer to him for a second before releasing me to go get drinks.

"How strange is this?" I ask rhetorically.

"What do you mean Petal?" He asks me.

I sit up so I can look at him. "Well..." I pause. "Us... I mean..."

Cedric grins at me. "I know what you mean, if it hadn't have been for the world cup we might not have ever really talked." Cedric changes the subject.

-xXx-

We spend the rest of our time in Hogsmeade sitting in the three broomsticks, eating stew, drinking butterbeer.

"Want a truffle?" Cedric asks mischievously holding one out towards my mouth. I open my mouth slightly so he can pop the truffle in, I watch as Cedric comments, "No?" before shoving the whole thing in his own waiting mouth.

The rest of the afternoon is spent feeding each other truffles, when I say feeding I mean that Cedric teases me, eating them himself before smearing one over my lips, the war had begun.

Feeling giddy and a little sick from all the chocolate Cedric and I head out into the cold to make our way up to the castle and to dinner.

-xXx-

"Alright you two!" Max calls jogging up to us, halfway up the hill, pulling Luke alone by the hand.

"Been looking for you everywhere Ced." Luke says falling into step beside me.

Cedric arches an eyebrow. "Well you found me now?"

"Tony figured out the egg." Luke says.

Max interjects. "He thinks he has figured out the egg, we thought you should test it out."

Cedric stops walking. "How?"

Max is the one to explain. "He put two and two together."

Luke elaborates. "He overheard Dumbledore talking to some merpeople in the lake, said the sound was unmistakable, a screeching noise."

"Like the egg." I say looking hopefully to Cedric.

Max nods. "Then we saw Krum, he was diving into the lake, had the egg with him too."

I nod slowly, piecing it together. "The language of the merpeople sounds different under water, the water somehow does something to it." I say thinking back to Hogwart's A History. "Any water will do." I supply not wanting Cedric to catch his death in the lake at this time of year.

"I have the best friends." Cedric grins before pulling on my hand. "Come on, I have to test it out." I have to jog to keep up with him.

-xXx-

"What did it say?" Tony asks, we are all sitting in the classroom where Cedric practised for the first class, this is rapidly becoming our favourite hang out. Cedric's hair is still wet from the bath where he finally got to hear what the egg had to say.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching, ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss," Cedric pauses a second. "An hour long you'll have to look, And recover what we took, But past an hour - the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." I scribble the riddle quickly on a piece of parchment whilst Cedric recites from memory.

"Any theories?" Will asks looking around at us all.

"The where is pretty obvious..." Cedric starts. We nod. "And I have to swim underwater for an hour to find whatever it is they have taken."

"What have they taken though?" Max asks. "Has anything gone missing?"

I shake my head. "They wouldn't have taken it yet, the task is still over five weeks away."

"I don't think there is anything for it mate, you just need to practice swimming and figure out how to breathe underwater." Luke comments.

Cedric grins again, his slow easy grin that I have come to associate with his cheeky side. "Got that covered." We look confused but Cedric just sits back on his seat, hands behind his head. "Bubblehead charm."


	14. Chapter 14

It's the night before the second task and I should be with Cedric, wishing him luck but instead I find myself in the headmasters office freaking out about the fact that I am going to be underwater for over an hour, in an enchanted sleep yes but... I don't really like water all that much, I can swim, my mother made sure of it but not so very well. Most children would swim at least once a week with their school at my age but Hogwart's doesn't have a pool and the thought of loading us all in minibuses to go to the local council run baths is just ridiculous.

And it will be cold! It's only February, we'll all catch hypothermia or something!

"Miss Granger, we thought it best that you be Mr Krum's hostage and Mr Summers be Mr Diggory's." Dumbledore whispers to me with a knowing twinkle in his eye. I just nod mutely at the headmaster.

Dumbledore claps his hands once. "Good, then if you will all be seated." He gestures at the three chairs, one for me, one for Luke and one for Fleur's little sister. We obediently sit down, Dumbledore hands each of us a vial of potion. "This will put you in the enchanted sleep. The enchantment will break once your head breaks the surface of the water."

Luke give me a sideways smile before holding his vial close to mine. "To Ced." He says as he clinks his vial with mine, a toast, I smile before downing my own potion. The last thing that enters my mind before I black out is that I have nowhere to put the empty vial.

-xXx-

I gasp as if I have been holding my breath for a long time, the water is absolutely freezing and I can feel my teeth chattering as my body shivers. My wet clothes are dragging me down in the water so I have to make a strong effort not to sink. "You okay?" Viktor asks wrapping one arm around me, under my armpit to keep me afloat.

I nod. "Bloody cold though." I add which elicits a smile from Viktor.

We make our way to the stands, I kick my feet furiously just to get some feeling back into them, Viktor hasn't let me go, he half drags me along with his superior strength.

I am pulled onto the doc by Cedric, Luke helps Viktor. Cedric crushes me in a hug before grabbing a blanket from the chair behind him to wrap around me. "Thanks for bringing her back mate." Cedric says to Krum offering him his fist to bump.

Viktor gives me a quizzical look before bumping his own fist against Cedric's. "She is dear to me too."

I smile, happy to be wrapped in the warm blanket which is in turn wrapped in Cedric's arms, we watch the scores be decided. The stands go wild when Cedric's score is announced, I scream and jump up and down along with the rest of the school, proud of my Hufflepuff. Cedric is in first place, then Viktor, then Fleur.

-xXx-

Later, Cedric and I seclude ourselves in the kitchens, it is one of our special places where we can be alone, yes there are loads of house elves around but they ignore us except to ask if we want anything every once in a while.

I am sitting sipping hot chocolate next to Cedric who has some whipped cream on his nose. I laugh at him until he realises what he has done.

"I was so worried yesterday, when I couldn't find you or Luke." Cedric admits, I was due to go meet him when I was called to the headmasters office.

I smile at him. "I know... if I could have warned you..."

Cedric puts a finger to my lip. "Shh. It's okay." I smile behind his finger which he removes and then plants a quick kiss where his finger was.

"Fear is a funny thing." I observe. "It can make you fight harder or just give up all together." I know this from the many times with Harry, Ron and I, we seem to fall into the fight category but I have seen others who shy away from things, give up when they shouldn't, like Neville's fear of Snape and Malfoy's cowardice when he is cornered. "I've got a new one." I say completely out of context, I think Cedric gets it though. He nods for me to continue. "What is your greatest fear?"

Cedric sighs. "You sure you want to know this one?" He asks avoiding my eyes.

"If you don't want to tell me you don't have to." I say resting my hand on his.

"It's just..." Cedric pauses. "...To be able to tell you why it is, I have to tell you a few things about my best friend, he... everyone knows of course, who was around at the time anyway so..."

This has me worried, I have seen Cedric angry and happy and even sad, this is even deeper than that, the light goes from his eyes for a second as they glaze over, thinking of the past.

"My greatest fear is people I love dying."

I admit this would be traumatic but surely people fear their own deaths the most? "Not your own death?" I voice the question.

Cedric snorts a little in amusement. "No, if I was dead I would have to deal with it would I? I would be dead, but to be left behind..." His voice trails off. "I have known Luke since practically before we were born, our mothers were friends from school and they never lost touch." I see Cedric's eyes clouding again. "We played together as boys before coming to school then we were both put into Hufflepuff and it was the best day of my life, finally coming to Hogwarts and not being alone, to already have a life long friend to share it with, I knew it was special even at eleven."

I bite my lip. This doesn't sound like it's going to be a very nice story, I take Cedric's hand from the table and drape it around my own shoulders.

Cedric starts back up. "We were in second year, it was only three weeks before we would break up for summer. Luke was excited, summer meant he would be going to see his dad."

"His Mom and Dad weren't together?" I ask curious.

I feel Cedric shake his head. "No, they split up when Luke was one, his dad was good though, always came for birthdays and Christmas and Luke always spent half the summer in Florida where his dad lived."

"That's nice." I say smiling, just imagining a little Luke running around Hogwart's hyper, getting ready to go visit his dad.

"They said it was the traffic lights, they were faulty which meant that when the green man came up to tell her to cross, the lights didn't go red for the cars." Cedric's voice has taken on this otherworldly monotone. "They say that she died instantly and there was nothing they could do." He looks down at me, tears shining in his eyes which are rimmed with red. "I was there when they told him, Dumbledore thought it would be best if he had a friend with him when they told him."

Cedric stops and breathes for a few moments, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as if to banish the tears.

"The sound that came out of him... it was worse than the egg... nothing should ever make that noise, it was like... like... like his soul being ripped out or something." Cedric shakes his head. "He clung to me, shouting at Dumbledore and Sprout, accusing them of lying, swearing up a storm at them, screeching and crying and all the time he clung to me like we were in water and I was the only thing stopping him drowning."

Cedric wipes his eyes with his free hand. "His dad arrived that very night, floo'd right into the headmasters study and swept both me and Luke up in his arms, Luke still wouldn't let me go but I didn't mind, I wanted to be there for him and I was crying as bad as he was, Luke's mother... she was like a second mother to me, we even used to joke, when I would go to his house I would call her mommy two, he still does to mine."

"Luke stayed at the castle for another week, his father had to arrange everything, move back to England, sort the funeral and everything so Luke stayed at the school for a week." Cedric stops again, taking a deep breath. "I haven't ever seen anybody who has been kissed by a dementor but I imagine it looks just like Luke looked that week. Everything about him was gone, he wouldn't eat or talk or do anything, just sit by the fire alone or lie in bed with his curtains drawn. We were so young, we didn't know what to do, should we leave him or force ourselves on him or what? I would just sit there, next to him by the fire, not talking or anything, just sitting with him. Later, after the summer when he was mostly back to being himself he told me it helped." Cedric shoots me a watery smile at this. "He said it helped."

I throw my arms around Cedric. "I am so sorry!" I say gently into his ear.

Cedric sniffs and I pull away to look at him, his eyes are less wet and his smile is back. "It's your turn now Petal."

I smile at him. "Well I am afraid that this isn't as horrific as what happened to you, it is just a simple thing that I have been told time and time again that has stuck and I can't get rid of it."

Cedric gestures for me to continue.

I take a breath. "I am terrified of failure." Cedric snorts at me. "No really I am."

"Failure of what?" Cedric asks eyebrows drawn.

"Pretty much everything but mostly of academic things, if I fail my owls Cedric they could snap my wand and banish me to the muggle world!" I admit quietly.

"They haven't done that in over two hundred years Petal, I don't think they will bring is back now just for you."

I narrow my eyes at his patronising tone. "I didn't say it was a rational fear." I pause for a beat. "It isn't just that though... I'm scared of turning into her, being as unhappy as she was, messing stuff up like she did, repeating her mistakes."

Cedric knits his brows. "Who?"

"My mother." I answer simply. "She got pregnant at sixteen when she was out clubbing, some one night stand she doesn't even know the name of..." I start the rant. "Then she didn't finish school because of me, then she was chucked out by her mother and had to live on the streets for a while before she found a hostel to go to." I take a breath. "The only time anything went right for her was when she met my dad... well step dad I suppose, he supported her whilst she went back to school and then university and now they're finally happy running the surgery together and I am out of the way at Hogwart's so I cant ruin any more of her life."

Cedric holds me as I start to cry pathetically. "Has she told you this? That she thinks it's your fault?" Cedric asks gently.

I nod in his embrace not trusting myself to speak. "I just have to pass my exams so I don't have to go back into that stupid world Cedric." I say between sobs, after a few minutes I have regained composure and untangle myself from Cedric.

"Do you know who he was?" Cedric asks. "Your real father?"

I sigh heavily. "No... all she has ever said is that he called himself Chris, she doesn't know what it's short for or his last name or anything, all she said was that he was tall with blondish hair and very handsome and that I have his eyes."

"She didn't mention anything about a wand or where he took her?" Cedric asks.

I shake my head. "I asked her everything I could think of to try and figure out if he was a wizard or not, she says she doesn't know, she was very very drunk and can't remember everything."


	15. Chapter 15

Cedric seems to think that finding my dad is a good idea, like it will be a big adventure; I don't think he understands what it is like for me, not knowing, and can't understand why I wouldn't want to know. I can't really blame him as he has always had both a mother and father, why wouldn't I want to know mine?

I worry, a lot, about the outcome if I do find him, a swirling mass of emotions most of which are contradictory consume me, throwing me around and spitting me back out more confused and unsure than when I started.

Sometimes I think it would be better just to do nothing, pretend there was no way to find him and to get on with my life as if he doesn't exist. That is how I got this far in life without constantly obsessing about it, I thought about him a lot when I was smaller, peppered my mom with thousands of questions about him that she couldn't answer and by the time I was around nine I stopped asking, I wasn't going to get any answers and I sure as hell couldn't find him on my own so I pushed it to the back of my mind and didn't think about it, until Cedric asked about my greatest fear.

I don't know my father, I know nothing about him, lets for a moment say he is just a muggle, what then? There is absolutely no point me getting to know him since I won't be able to tell him about the most important parts of my life, where I go to school etc... I wouldn't be able to build a relationship like that, it would just be a painless waste. So there is reason number one to not look.

Number two; He is a wizard, who is to say he isn't a death eater? It could happen, not all death eaters despise muggles as much as the rest, and he may have let his judgement slip for a drunken one night stand, or he might have joined up with them later, maybe even recently since it seems there are more of them now than previously. I would be putting myself and friends, especially Harry in great danger.

But then he could just be a normal wizard, who's to say I wouldn't be trouble for him? I could ruin his life! My mere existence could break up a family if he has one now, I don't think I could live with being a home wrecker.

Finally it could just be as simple as we don't get along, we meet, we don't bond and then we feel that we have to stay in touch even if we don't like each other because we are blood, then I have to spend the rest of my life resenting myself for getting in touch with him in the first place.

It could be one of a million things that could make this not work, make it painful and pointless, yet only one scenario where we get along and are happy and better for having found each other... Arithmancy has taught me about the science of magic and the muggle world taught me about odds, should I go against the odds on the off chance Cedric is right and this will be a good thing?

"You with me Petal?" Cedric interrupts my musings.

I smile at him gently looking up from the book I have been staring at for the last few minutes but haven't read. "Sorry."

Cedric sets his book aside. "If you really don't want to do this we don't have to."

I shake my head. "There are so many reasons I can think of not to try and find him..." I sigh. "But if I don't try I will go mad with 'what if's'."

"Big red button?" Cedric grins at me.

I giggle, Cedric has become slightly obsessed with the concept of the big red button. "Something like that."

Cedric smirks at me. "There isn't any rush though okay? Once we find the spell we need we don't need to cast it right away."

I nod gratefully, he may not understand everything about the situation in my head but he does understand that this is hard for me. "I've never really asked what your parents are like?"

Cedric nods and smiles at me. "My parents are..." He stops for a second. "...Hard to sum up. They love each other dearly, no one can contest that, they are unusual in the way they express it sometimes."

"How do you mean?" I ask curious.

"When they are together and it is a special day or something they act worse than a couple of hormone teenagers, I find it best to keep as far away as possible when that happens, no one wants to catch their parents snogging at the breakfast table."

I laugh. "At least they are still in love." I comment.

"Let's see if you say that once you have witnessed it!"

I sigh gently to myself. "Do you think it will upset my mother? Finding him I mean." I ask, not that I expect Cedric to know the answer, he does not know my mother, hasn't even met her, although he has indicated his isn't her biggest fan for making me feel the way I do about myself.

"I think that although you don't want to upset or disappoint your mother that this isn't something she needs to get involved in, it really isn't any of her business or anyone else's, this is about you and what you want and need in your life, no one should dictate that but you."

I smile and reach my hand across the table to place it on Cedric's in thanks. "I just keep going over and over different scenarios in my head about him, what if it is someone I know? Or someone terrible?"

Squeezing my hand Cedric throws me a sideways smile. "We can only hope that it isn't and anyway as long as we find a spell that isn't going to alert him to your presence then we can covertly check him out before hand."

I smile at this. "Like in the good old days with fake Moody?" I ask raising my eyebrows.

Cedric grins. "Yeah, you could fake cry and everything."

I snort at this. "I don't think that is the impression I want to give my biological father, no matter who he is."

"Yeah I suppose not... I could cry, but then he might talk you out of going out with a crying Nancy boy." I giggle again, my fears thrown to the back of my mind to no doubt sneak up on me at a later date.

Looking back down at the book I have been neglecting I skim the pages for a few minutes before coming across passage which mentions different locator spells and their methods. "I've got something." I comment quietly.

Cedric gets up from his side of the desk and comes to crouch next to me, running his finger over the page his lips move silently as he reads, Cedric reaches out for my quill and begins writing down names and books to find the spell we need.

We split the list and go book hunting, once I have my hoard of books I make my way back to the table where Cedric has already returned with his bounty. "This one looks okay." He says gesturing me to go over to him, I lean down and read the spell, it is very complicated and only has a fifty fifty chance of actually working.

Shaking my head I voice my doubts. "There was one I was looking at in the other book before, it mentioned this book." I say pulling a small red leather bound tome out of the pile. I flick through the pages finding the spell I want and set the open book in front of Cedric who reads it quickly.

"It isn't perfect, could take a few tries to pinpoint a location..." Cedric trails thinking.

"The ingredients for the potion are easy to find and pretty cheap too." I comment scanning the list.

The spell we have found is simple but as Cedric has said it is not definitive, using a map you pour a powdered potion on the map and speak an incantation, if cast correctly the map will show any close blood relatives; parents, siblings, grandparents and uncles/aunts, but it wont show cousins or any non blood relatives, it will also only show where they are at the time you cast the spell.

After another hour of looking we settle on the spell we will use, it has it's limitations but is reliable and can be cast numerous times quickly to help make it more accurate.

-xXx-

Two days later I have told my friends what I am going to do, Harry is very supportive but Ron is angry with me for not telling them sooner that the man I call dad isn't my real father. We have also told Cedric's friends who are also being really supportive.

The potion was easy to make and as Cedric shares his dorm with his friends he made it in his room, I could have tried to make it in mine but then I would have had to explain to Lavender and the other girls what it was, which would lead to more questions and no doubt mean the whole school would know what I was doing before the night was over.

"We're all right here with you." Cedric whispers in my ear as he runs his hands down my arms.

I look up and smile at the people gathered around me, they smile back as I take a deep breath and walk over to the table where we have set up the map.

Max fills Harry in on the spell. "The red dot will be Hermione, blue will be any relatives on her fathers side and the green will be her mothers side." Harry nods in understanding before reaching out and squeezing my hand gently.

This is it then... this is where it starts, finding my real father... god I really do hope he isn't horrible.

I take a deep breath and scatter the powder on the map whilst speaking the incantation. Nothing happens at first, then slowly a few lights start to appear and we all crowd around the map, I stare at it my eyes roaming too quickly to really see anything.

"That must be your mom." Harry says pointing at a green dot in my home town.

"There's a blue one!" Max points at a bright blue dot in London somewhere. "It's in the section of London where the ministry is, maybe he works there or something?" She muses.

"That must be your dad, there aren't any more blue ones." Cedric says as his eyes finish roaming the paper.

I stare at the blue dot in central London, that's him? Could it be? The spell isn't perfect, it could be a grandparent or a sibling or an uncle or aunt... What if my dad isn't in the country or if he is dead, it wont show up if he is dead so it might be another relative blinking back at me from London. Why didn't I think this through? The spell is so general that I have no way of knowing who this person is! Why didn't I use a different spell, one more accurate... so what if it takes more time, then I wouldn't have been in this state of confusion.

I am pulled out of my silent berating by Tony. "Where's Hermione?" He asks squinting at Scotland. "There's a purple dot, but not a red one?"

"Maybe it didn't work?" I comment staring at the impossible purple light. "The spell to make Hogwarts un plot-able could be messing it up?"

Max once again in her unwavering voice makes the connection we have yet to. "What do red and blue make?" She asks looking me in the eyes.

My mouth opens as if to answer but nothing comes out.


	16. Chapter 16

Panic floods my body, how can there be someone at Hogwarts that I am related to? How do I not know this, would I not have seen them and realised we were kin? How can this be possible? I sit down, hard, on the chair behind me. It could be anyone, and they could be any number of relations, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, father, grandparents...

My mouth is still gaping open; I don't know how the others are taking it because I find I cannot even hear them, let alone communicate. My mind tires to race through every single face I can think of at the castle, I come up blank, why does no one stand out?

Slowly my senses catch up to the world around me, the others seem to be in a debate as to what we should do next, I smile gently realising probably for the first time how great my new-found friends are; Max and Cedric are talking a mile a minute suggesting then discounting plans, Tony is pacing, lips moving, muttering silently to himself. Luke and Harry are looking around at the others deep in thought.

Closing my eyes I take a few deep breaths to clear my head. Why did I talk myself into this? It was bound to go wrong, that is what my life is, a series of impossible circumstances that lead to trouble, why couldn't I leave well enough alone?

Harry is the one who comes up with the next plan of action. "We just need a smaller map." The others snap their attention to him. "The easiest thing would be to find out who it is here at Hogwarts right?" We nod. "So we use a map of Hogwarts and Hermione casts the spell in the middle of the night.

Harry really is brilliant when he puts his mind to it. In a room full of sixth years he is the one who can come up with a feasible and surprisingly easy and foolproof plan.

Cedric agrees. "If it's a student it would show which house they were in so we could narrow it down further, and if it isn't a student then it would show us who it was by where they sleep in the castle. We just need a map of Hogwarts."

Harry and I share a look, he is so not thinking what I think he is thinking. "No Harry, it might ruin it!" I say before he says anything.

"Ruin what?" Max asks with a quirk of her eyebrow. I look at Harry, not knowing if he wants to tell.

"I have this map." Harry starts. "My dad and his friends made it when they went here; it shows where everyone in the school is."

"And it is too valuable and useful for us to tamper with." I say firmly to dissuade anyone from suggesting using it to find my mysterious relative, the map has helped us more times than I care to count.

"Let's have a look then." Tony says with a raise of his eyebrows. "We might not be able to use it as it is but we might be able to copy it without causing any damage."

Cedric nods and smiles at this. "It wouldn't duplicate the magic making it work, just the map itself."

Harry nods then looks at me to see if I will object. "Okay." I say gently, at this Harry jumps up to go fetch it, leaving me alone with Cedric and his friends.

Cedric walks over to me, placing his hand on my shoulder in reassurance. This small gesture calms my nerves, I relax against his hand. "I don't know if I can do this alone." I say sadly.

"I am sure Harry will insist on being with you when you cast it, if I could get to your dorm without being caught I would come too Petal." I lean my head back against his stomach and sigh. Cedric pulls a chair out and sits opposite me. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

I grimace a little before answering. "I keep going over every face I can think of at Hogwarts to find similarities. I know my hair is not from my mom's side, or my eyes; she has very dark, straight hair and blue eyes, so all I keep thinking is who has hair as ridiculously unruly as mine and all I can come up with is bloody Trelawney!"

Cedric tries not to laugh and fails; I narrow my eyes at him. "I am certain you are not related to her." Cedric tries to reassure me but it doesn't really work. "Look, I am sure it is just a student here and you will get to be a big sister to some first year and teach them everything you know and we will all be with you every step of the way."

The rest of the room nod and smile at me, letting me know they are here for me too. I smile a little and thank them, they all nod gently as they meet my gaze. "You would do the same for us." Luke adds with a lopsided grin, and I would, these people are my friends, not just Cedric's friends and so have to put up with me and I them because of him, they like me for me and It is the same for me, we may not have met had it not been for mine and Cedric's relationship but these people will forever be dear to me.

Harry rushes back into the room, as soon as the door closes behind him he pulls the Marauders Map out of his pocket and lays it on the table, I stand to crowd around it with the others. I hear Harry whisper but cannot make out the words even though I know what they are; the map comes to life.

"That is so cool." Luke comments leaning in towards the map. "Look, there we are!" He says pointing to the classroom we currently occupy; we are all standing so close that I can't actually read any of the overlapping text showing our names. "Hi us!" Luke says waving at the map. I roll my eyes with a snort.

"So this is how you've managed to keep out of trouble." Max comments smirking at Harry.

Harry grins back. "That and a few other things." Max laughs and raises an eyebrow in question which goes unanswered.

-xXx-

I'm lying awake in bed; I cast a quick 'lumos' under the covers at my watch. It is 3:57am, time to move. I slide out of bed as quietly as I can so I don't wake my dorm mates. I creep down the stairs into the common room and find Harry is already there, lounging on the large sofa in front of the fire, feet up on the small table in front of him. Smiling at Harry I rush over to portrait hole and open the door to admit the waiting Cedric who is holding Harry's map.

Cedric looks around the room, studying it for a moment before quirking an eyebrow in my direction. "Different." He comments before flopping down next to Harry. I look questioningly at him. "It's really open; The Sett is kind of..." He struggles for the word. "...not cramped, The Sett is more jumbled and cosy, this seems regimented."

I look around the room and try to see it from Cedric's point of view. I guess it is well organised, a place for everything, the house elves have obviously already been tonight as it is a lot neater than when I 'went to bed' at ten o'clock.

"Colours are a bit garish too." Cedric comments gesturing to the red and gold seat next to him.

I snort at this. "More so than bright yellow?" I ask with a raise of my eyebrow.

"There's actually hardly any yellow in the common room." Cedric comments as I come to sit between him and Harry.

"Shall we do this then?" Harry asks sitting up. I nod, Harry lays the new duplicated map on the table as Cedric hands me the potion. I cast the spell and take a deep breath before looking down at the map.

It takes a moment for my eyes to pick out the light as it is dimmer than last time, I assume because the subject is unconscious at the moment.

"Badgers seem to be your thing lately Petal." Cedric comments with a smile.

Thank god! Finally I can relax a little, the map shows that my relative is a Hufflepuff currently sleeping in the boys dorm, other than that I still do not know a specific person but at least I know it isn't a teacher, my fears of Trelawney being my aunt now seem laughable.

"Thank all the gods of heaven and earth!" I sigh. "I was so worried, what if it has been a Slytherin? Or a teacher?" I smile to myself. "Do you think he's a half brother?" I ask Cedric.

"Could be, or even an uncle or nephew, we wizards live so long it isn't uncommon for aunts and nephews to be the same age." Cedric comments thoughtfully.

Harry asks the next question. "How do we find out who it is in Hufflepuff?" I shrug gently, not too worried any more about who this person is or how to find them, there is no rush.

Cedric answers. "We can use one of the other locator spells we found now we know it won't be anyone atrocious."

I nod gently. "I can do it tomorrow at breakfast, that's the most likely time I will be in the same room as him."

The three of us sit in silence for a moment, taking in the information. A brother, or an Uncle... I can live with that. Questions are still flying around in my head, is he younger or older than me? Is he a brother or uncle? What does he look like? Do I already know his name? Will I recognise him when I see him? What of his parents? Is my fear of being a home wrecker still valid? How to I tell this person who I am and who they are to me? What if it is a brother and he doesn't know our dad either? What if our dad did the same to this boys mom as he did to mine? Or worse?

Harry lets out a huge fake yawn. "Well..." Cue awkward pause."I am really tired..." Another pause."So, off to bed I go then." Harry announces before jumping up from his seat and heading off to the boys dorm at top speed.

Cedric calls after him. "I'll give you the map back tomorrow." Harry doesn't stop walking just waves over his shoulder, I'm not sure but I think this is Harry's way of giving me some alone time with Cedric, I smile at the thought as I curl up next to Cedric leaning my head on his shoulder.

"You're still worried Petal?" Cedric asks leaning his head on top of mine.

I nod, moving both of our heads in an awkward bob. "Can't help it."

I feel Cedric's lips press against the top of my head before he pulls back to look at me, tilting my head upwards so he can see into my eyes. "Just a few more hours and you will have your answers.

"I just feel bad, distracting you from the tournament." I admit with a frown.

Cedric smiles at me. "I wont even know what it is for a few weeks yet, if I am not worrying about it then you can't either." He pauses and takes in the look on my face before adding. That is an order."

I push myself back from his embrace. "An order?" I ask with my eyebrows raised. "Since when do I take orders off you Diggory?"

Cedric looks thoughtful for a moment before taking my chin in his hands. "Since I found out your greatest weakness Miss Granger."

Cedric's face is mere inches from my own, I breath out gently as I ask. "And what is my greatest weakness?"

Cedric grins before leaning in, closing the last inch that separates us.


End file.
